Bean Cars
Bean Cars was an English automobile and light-commercial-vehicle marque produced by A. Harper Sons & Bean and later associated with Hadfields Limited.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Bean Cars was an English motor-vehicle marque that emerged from the long-established metalworking business A. Harper Sons & Bean after the First World War. The company had originated as an iron foundry in Dudley in 1822 and became an important supplier of forged and stamped metal components. Under George Bean's leadership, the business expanded into automotive parts and benefited substantially from wartime contracts for shrapnel and shell cases. The end of those contracts created a need for a new civilian product, leading the company to enter automobile manufacturing in 1919. Bean obtained the manufacturing rights to the pre-war Perry 11.9 and adapted the design into the Bean 11.9. Chassis were produced at a new factory in Coseley, while bodies were made at the company's Dudley works. The marque adopted comparatively modern production methods for its time, including moving assembly tracks, and initially pursued ambitious expansion. In late 1919, the proposed Harper Bean group attempted to combine Bean with several other engineering, vehicle and distribution businesses. The plan envisaged very high production volumes and a diversified industrial structure, but its complicated financing and the postwar downturn proved unsustainable. Rising prices, wage pressures and weak market conditions caused production to stop in October 1920, while the company accumulated substantial supplier debts. The business was rescued in 1921 through support from banks, Hadfields Limited and Sir George Bean. Production restarted in early 1922, and the Bean 11.9 subsequently achieved a strong market position. For a few years the marque reportedly outsold better-known British manufacturers such as Austin and Morris. Its output peaked at approximately 80 cars per week, with roughly 10,000 Bean 11.9 vehicles produced overall. The Bean 14, introduced in 1923 with a larger 2.3-litre engine and four-speed transmission, became another important model and sold particularly well in Australia. Bean also supplied an engine for the Ariel Nine light car, although that power unit was discontinued after complaints about vibration and noise. The company broadened its range in 1924 with the smaller Bean 12 and with light commercial vehicles. Its commercial program eventually included 20/25-cwt and 30-cwt trucks, but competition intensified when Morris Commercial entered the market. Financial problems persisted, and Hadfields increasingly shaped the company's management and product strategy. From 1927, passenger cars were sold under the Hadfield-Bean name, including updated versions of the 14 and the six-cylinder 18/50. These products did not restore the business to financial health. A badly tested new range introduced in 1928, particularly the Hadfield-Bean 14/45 and sporting 14/70, developed serious reliability and reputation problems. Passenger-car production ended in 1929. Hadfields continued making commercial vehicles under the Bean New Era designation until June 1931, after which the vehicle business entered voluntary liquidation. In 1933, Hadfields relaunched the industrial operation as Beans Industries, concentrating on castings and components for other vehicle manufacturers rather than complete cars. That successor later became part of Standard-Triumph and then Leyland Motors. A management buyout in the 1980s eventually connected the business with Reliant, but Reliant's collapse contributed to Bean entering receivership. The former Tipton operation subsequently passed through several owners before production finally ceased in 2005. Bean's legacy survives through preserved cars and trucks, the international motoring exploits of Australian adventurer Francis Birtles in a Bean 14 named Sundowner, and the Coseley-built Thunderbolt land-speed-record car driven by George Eyston. Although the marque disappeared as a vehicle manufacturer, it remains a notable example of a British industrial supplier that briefly became a substantial mass-market automobile producer before financial strain, competition and product-quality failures ended the car business.
History
A. Harper & Sons began as an iron foundry in Dudley in 1822. George Bean joined the family business through marriage, became its principal shareholder in 1901 and chairman in 1907, and helped change its name to A. Harper & Sons & Bean. The company supplied forged and stamped metal parts and expanded its production capabilities before and during the First World War. Wartime government contracts for shrapnel and shell cases brought prosperity and led to factory expansion. When military demand ended, the company sought a civilian replacement business. In January 1919 it purchased rights connected with the pre-war Perry automobile and established Bean as a vehicle marque. Chassis production was located at a new Coseley plant, while bodies were built at the Waddams Pool works in Dudley. The initial Bean 11.9 used a 1,795 cc four-cylinder engine and separate three-speed gearbox. The company adopted moving-track assembly methods and promoted an ambitious plan to become a high-volume British manufacturer. The proposed Harper Bean group, announced in 1919, attempted to combine Bean with interests in Hadfields, Vulcan, Swift and several distribution and engineering businesses. Its projected production targets were extremely large, but the structure was complicated and the postwar market deteriorated. Inflation, wage increases and recession caused the group to disintegrate. Bean stopped production in October 1920, and its debts to suppliers were reported at approximately £475,000. Jack Bean resigned shortly afterward. A rescue in November 1921 involving banks, Hadfields and Sir George Bean paid creditors and restored production. Output rose rapidly during 1922, and the Bean 11.9 became commercially successful. The Bean 14 arrived in 1923 with a 2.3-litre engine and four-speed transmission; it sold especially well in Australia and remained in production in several forms until 1929. In 1924 the company introduced the smaller Bean 12 and began producing light commercial vehicles. It also supplied a 997 cc flat-twin engine for the Ariel Nine, although Ariel abandoned that model because of the engine's vibration and noise. Financial weakness continued. Sir George Bean died in 1924 and Augustus Clerke, formerly associated with Hadfields, became chairman. Hadfields provided further support and exerted greater control over the business. The passenger range was reorganized in 1927, when some models were discontinued or renamed and cars began carrying the Hadfield-Bean designation. A six-cylinder 18/50 using a Meadows overhead-valve engine was produced for only about a year. Commercial vehicles, including 20/25-cwt and 30-cwt models, remained part of the program, but competition from Morris Commercial placed heavy pressure on Bean. The 1928 Hadfield-Bean 14/45 and related 14/70 were released before adequate testing had resolved serious faults. Their poor reliability damaged the marque and accelerated the fall in sales. Passenger-car production ended in 1929, while commercial vehicles continued as Bean New Era products until June 1931. The company then entered voluntary liquidation. Hadfields revived the industrial business in 1933 as Beans Industries, concentrating on castings for vehicle manufacturers. It returned to profitability and became a public company in 1937. During the Second World War it made truck engines and other parts. Standard-Triumph acquired Bean in 1956, and the operation became part of Leyland Motors in 1960. During the restructuring and break-up of British Leyland in the 1980s, Bean was acquired by its management. The same management later acquired Reliant; Reliant's failure contributed to Bean entering receivership in the 1990s. The Tipton factory subsequently passed to Eisenwerk Bruhl, then to Ferrotech, but severe losses eventually led to administration and closure in 2005. Several Bean vehicles remain preserved. The most famous is the Bean 14 Sundowner used by Francis Birtles on long-distance journeys between Darwin and Melbourne and later between London and Melbourne. The Coseley works also built George Eyston's Thunderbolt, which set a world land-speed record in 1937. Surviving Bean cars and trucks are held by museums and private collectors in the United Kingdom and Australia.
- 2005
Tipton production ceases
[1]The later component operation entered administration and the factory closed after production stopped.
- 1960
Becomes part of Leyland Motors
[1]The business entered the Leyland Motors group.
- 1956
Acquired by Standard-Triumph
[1]The component-making business was acquired by Standard-Triumph.
- 1937
Beans Industries becomes public
[1]The revived industrial company became a public company.
- 1937
Thunderbolt sets a land-speed record
[1]The Coseley factory built George Eyston's Thunderbolt, which established a world land-speed record.
- 1933
Beans Industries established
[1]The operation was relaunched as a supplier of castings and components rather than complete vehicles.
- 1929
Passenger-car production ends
[1]The company stopped making cars after the troubled 1928 model launch.
- 1927
Hadfield-Bean branding adopted
[1]Hadfields reshaped the range, and passenger cars increasingly appeared under the Hadfield-Bean name.
- 1924
Commercial-vehicle program begins
[1]Bean added the smaller Bean 12 and began making light trucks.
- 1923
Bean 14 introduced
[1]The larger Bean 14 became a significant model and was successful in export markets, particularly Australia.
Products and positioning
A British industrially backed automobile marque that combined mass-production ambitions with a broad range of small cars and light commercial vehicles.
Passenger automobile · 1919
Bean 11.9
The Bean 11.9 was derived from the pre-war Perry 11.9 and formed the foundation of Bean's early automobile business. It used a 1,795 cc four-cylinder engine, a separate three-speed gearbox and was offered in chassis and open-body configurations. Production reached approximately 80 cars per week at its peak, with around 10,000 made overall. It helped Bean achieve a temporary position ahead of Austin and Morris in sales.
Passenger automobile · 1923
Bean 14
Introduced in 1923, the Bean 14 was a larger and more developed car with a 2.3-litre engine and four-speed transmission. It was produced in several variants through 1929 and achieved particular popularity in Australia. The model also became associated with Francis Birtles's long-distance record journeys in the car named Sundowner.
Passenger automobile · 1924
Bean 12
The Bean 12 was a smaller car introduced during the company's 1924 expansion. Production ended in 1927, by which time approximately 3,000 had been built. Its chassis also served as the basis for the Short 14, which combined the smaller chassis with the larger model's engine.
Passenger automobile · 1928
Bean 18/50
The 18/50 was Bean's short-lived six-cylinder model. It used a 2.7-litre Meadows overhead-valve engine and was offered as a more powerful alternative to the smaller four-cylinder cars. Production lasted about one year, with approximately 500 vehicles made.
Passenger automobile · 1928
Hadfield-Bean 14/45 and 14/70
These 1928 Hadfield-Bean models were intended to refresh the marque, with the 14/70 positioned as a sporting derivative. They reached the market before significant design and testing problems had been resolved. Reliability faults damaged customer confidence and contributed directly to the end of Bean passenger-car production.
Light commercial vehicle · 1924
Bean commercial vehicles
Bean made light commercial vehicles from 1924 to 1931. The range began with a 20/25-cwt lorry derived from the passenger-car platform and later included a larger 30-cwt model with a dedicated commercial chassis. The program was intended to maintain factory volumes but faced intense competition, especially from Morris Commercial.
Brand decisions
1933
Shift from complete vehicles to componentsStrategyBackground
After the vehicle business entered liquidation, Hadfields retained an industrial opportunity in Bean's metalworking and manufacturing capabilities.
Action taken
The operation was relaunched as Beans Industries to make castings and components for other motor manufacturers.
Aftermath
The components business became profitable and continued through several corporate owners for decades, although the Tipton operation eventually closed in 2005.
1928
Launch of the Hadfield-Bean 14/45Product launchBackground
Hadfields attempted to renew the passenger-car range while operating under increasing financial and competitive pressure.
Action taken
The company released the 14/45 and sporting 14/70 before completing adequate testing.
Aftermath
Serious faults harmed the brand's reputation, sales fell, and passenger-car production ended the following year.
1924
Diversification into light commercial vehiclesStrategyBackground
Bean needed to sustain factory utilization and broaden its revenue base beyond passenger cars.
Action taken
The company introduced a 20/25-cwt lorry and subsequently developed a larger 30-cwt commercial model.
Aftermath
Competition in the British light-commercial market remained severe, and the added range did not resolve Bean's financial problems.
1919
Pursuit of a Harper Bean industrial groupStrategyBackground
Bean sought to expand rapidly by combining its automobile operation with vehicle makers, a steel producer, distributors and engineering businesses.
Action taken
The proposed group raised capital and planned large-scale production of cars, commercial vehicles, engines and components.
Aftermath
The complex structure was overwhelmed by the postwar downturn, escalating costs and supplier debts, and production stopped in 1920.
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