1925 Bean 14hp Saloon
British component manufacturer A. Harper, Sons & Bean entered automobile production after World War I, transforming its Staffordshire munitions facilities into motor works. The company acquired rights to the pre-war Perry design and initially produced a smaller model before expanding its lineup.
The 14hp Saloon was introduced in 1924 as Bean’s larger offering, powered by a 2.3-liter (2,300cc) sidevalve four-cylinder engine paired with a four-speed gearbox. The closed saloon body provided greater weather protection than the open tourers popular at the time. Performance was modest, with a comfortable cruising speed of about 40 mph, well suited for the unhurried motoring typical of the period.
Despite ambitious plans to rival Austin and Morris, Bean never achieved the production volumes needed to compete on price. Financial troubles plagued the company throughout the 1920s, and in 1926 steel supplier Hadfields of Sheffield took control, rebranding the cars as Hadfield-Bean.
Production ended in 1929 after roughly 17,000 to 18,000 vehicles were built across all models. The company then returned to its core business of component manufacturing, a role it continued for decades.
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