A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, vehicle choices were a lot different than they are now — and we’re not just talking about Landspeeder options on Tatooine. England in the 1970s also had its share of, shall we say, interesting machines with low-slung and streamlined designs. So while Luke Skywalker had his SoroSuub X-34, Tom Karen — and about 2,270 owners — had the Bond Bug. And those two timelines came together in our universe in 1977, when the Bond Bug underpinned Luke’s Landspeeder in the first Star Wars movie, “A New Hope.”
Yes, that iconic tri-turbine ride, with a top speed of 155 mph and the ability to sprint from 0 to 60 in about 4.1 seconds while flying three feet above the ground, was in fact built on top of a three-wheeled car designed by Karen and manufactured by the Reliant Motor Company. The result was a vehicle that could get to 60 mph eventually — in 23.7 seconds, to be exact — with a maximum velocity of 76 mph that was more in line with the performance of heavy equipment like a Traxler Marauder 906 armored tank than a Landspeeder.
We’ve already seen how reel life informs real life — like when Boeing built a flying Star Wars X-wing – so today, let’s go the other way and see how the Bond Bug went from a British oddity to high-tech hovercraft. But don’t worry: we won’t need to make the jump to hyperspace to get there.
The birth of the Bond Bug
As mentioned, the Bond Bug was built by Reliant Motors, which got its start in 1935 under founder T.L. Williams. Williams’ first vehicle was a three-wheel van with essentially the front end of a motorcycle, and he remained committed to the three-wheel configuration even when he branched out into cars after World War II. The Reliant Regal reached the market in 1952, but things really took off after it gained a major redesign for 1962. Record-setting sales soon followed, as did the even more refined Reliant Robin — of Jeremy Clarkson tipping fame.
In between the Regal and Robin, however, was a short-lived project known as the Bond Bug. No, this wasn’t a James Bond-edition car you can actually afford. Instead, it boasted a radical wedge-shaped exterior by Karen — by the way, a giant of industrial design who was also responsible for the iconic Raleigh Chopper bicycle and a bullet-proof Land Rover Popemobile.
Actually, the Bond Bug’s design was originally intended for a Reliant vehicle, but the powers that be thought the look was too far out for one of their products. Since they had recently bought out a smaller car company named Bond, the folks at Reliant used that brand name instead to avoid any connection with their main marque. One of the most interesting aspects of the Bond Bug’s exterior was its canopy-style entry and exit, where the top of the vehicle tilts forward for ingress and egress, much like the Saab Aero-X concept of 2006.
Building and flying the Landspeeder
Much of Karen’s best-known work was done during his 37-year stint as managing director and chief designer of Ogle Design, and it’s probably no coincidence that another Ogle artist, John Stears, is credited with the look of the Landspeeder itself. The prop vehicle was built on top of a stripped-away Bond Bug chassis, and about all you could see of the original car was its wheels — which inspired the clever trick used to make the Landspeeder look like it was floating. Sadly, it doesn’t have real repulsorlift technology.
Remember, CGI was still in its infancy back then, so Lucasfilms resorted to practical effects for the shots of the Landspeeder in action. Prop masters attached mirrors to the sides of the car, angling them so they reflected the ground below while also covering the wheels. Carefully chosen camera angles and Vaseline on part of the camera lens (for a blurring effect) played a part as well.
In the movie, after his aunt and uncle are killed by Imperial forces, Luke and Obi-wan decide to try escaping to Alderaan, and they sell the Landspeeder for a 2,000-credit down payment on the trip with another 15,000 credits due on arrival. Of course, the Death Star delivered a great disturbance in the force — as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were silenced— and changed their plans. As a result, untold millennia in their future, their Landspeeder now lives at our Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles along with plenty of rare rides your childhood self would’ve killed to see.
