Editing Sharp's Commercials (section)

==Bond Minicar 1949–1966==
{{main|Bond Minicar}}
[[File:Bond Minicar red 1959.jpg|thumb|1959 [[Bond Minicar]] Mark F Family Saloon]]
[[File:Bond beim Ausparken.webm|thumb|Parking out with Bond Minicar]]
Sharp's Commercials began production of an economical three-wheeled car early in 1949. Based on a design by [[Lawrie Bond]], it was called the "Bond Minicar" (retrospectively to be called the Mark A) and was powered by a single-[[Cylinder (engine)|cylinder]] [[Two-stroke cycle|two-stroke]] [[Villiers Engineering|Villiers]] engine of 122 or 197 [[Cubic metre#Multiples and submultiples|cc]]. Bodywork was mostly [[aluminium]], though some later models used [[fibreglass]] for parts of the car. It proved very popular at the time owing to post-war economies. 
[[File:Bond minicar engine bay 1959.jpg|thumb|left|The engine bay of a 1959 [[Bond Minicar]]. (Note the unmodified kick-starter on the right of the Villiers unit.)]]
The Minicar moved on through several different incarnations, culminating in the "Mark G" in 1961. [[Convertible (car)|Convertible]]s were offered, as were [[van]] and [[Station wagon|estate]] versions. The engine was upgraded, first to a single-cylinder 250 cc and then to a 250 cc twin-cylinder Villiers 4T (optional only on the Mark G). The engines were essentially a Villiers motorcycle-type unit and therefore had no reverse gear. However, this was a minimal inconvenience, because the engine, gearbox and front wheel were mounted as a single unit and could be turned by the steering wheel up to 90 degrees either side of the straight-ahead position, enabling the car to turn within its own length.

Reverse gear of a sort was offered on later models, but using this involved stopping the engine and starting it backwards. This was achieved by reversing the Siba [[Dynastart]] unit, a device which doubled as both starter and generator. It operated as a starter motor when the starter button was pressed but when the engine was running it generated power instead and recharged the battery.

The last Bond Minicar, a Mark G, was made in November 1966.