Perry

Perry was a short-lived British automobile marque associated with the Perry Motor Company of Tyseley, Birmingham. Although production under the Perry name is generally dated from 1913 to 1916, the business had much older roots. James and Stephen Perry began making pens in a London workshop in 1824. The enterprise later moved to Birmingham and expanded into bicycle manufacture. Financial difficulties in the late nineteenth century led to its acquisition by James William Bayliss, who was also connected with the Bayliss-Thomas automobile business. The company experimented with motor vehicles before establishing a regular Perry car range. A three-wheeler was built in 1899, followed by a forecar in 1903. In 1911, Cecil Bayliss developed a cyclecar powered by an 800 cc Fafnir engine. This design became the basis for the Perry vehicle that reached production. The cyclecar was publicly presented at the Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Show at Olympia in November 1912, where it was promoted as a particularly light, full-sized-style car weighing less than seven hundredweight. The production Perry cyclecar, later associated with the 8 hp model, used a compact in-house two-cylinder, vertically mounted, water-cooled engine. Its two pistons moved together, an unusual configuration for the period. Power was transmitted to the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox with reverse, a worm-driven rear axle, and a spur differential. The chassis incorporated semi-elliptic leaf springs supplemented by coil springs at the rear, and the car used Sankey detachable wheels with Dunlop tyres. The standard body was an open two-seater, while a longer-wheelbase version could accommodate an additional dickey seat. Approximately 800 examples were produced. Perry expanded into a larger automobile in 1914. The Perry 11.9 used a four-cylinder, 1,795 cc engine and was offered with both two-seat and four-seat bodywork. Birmingham coachbuilder Mulliners supplied much of the body construction. Production of the larger model reached approximately 300 cars before the First World War disrupted civilian automobile manufacturing and curtailed the company's activities. After the war, the Perry design and its associated jigs, patterns, and tools were sold to Bean Cars for £15,000. Bean subsequently revived the design as the Bean 11.9, making the Perry marque an important predecessor to that model even though Perry-branded production did not resume on a substantial scale. The Perry name is therefore chiefly remembered for its early lightweight cyclecar, its brief pre-war full-sized-car program, and its place in the development of the British motor industry rather than for a continuing modern business.

The Perry business originated in 1824, when James and Stephen Perry operated a pen-making workshop in London. The enterprise later relocated to Birmingham and began producing bicycles. By the late 1890s it was experiencing financial difficulties and was acquired by James William Bayliss, who was part-owner of the Bayliss-Thomas car-making business. This change connected the Perry enterprise with the emerging Birmingham motor industry. Perry's early automotive experiments preceded the marque's main production period. The company built a three-wheeler in 1899 and a forecar in 1903. In 1911, Cecil Bayliss constructed a cyclecar fitted with an 800 cc Fafnir engine. Further development of this vehicle produced the Perry design that entered production. The car was exhibited at the Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Show at Olympia in November 1912 and was described as a very light car with the appearance of a full-sized automobile. The Perry cyclecar used an in-house, twin-cylinder, vertically arranged, water-cooled engine. Its 72 mm bore and 108 mm stroke produced the model's approximately 8 hp classification. Both pistons moved simultaneously, an uncommon engineering arrangement. Rear-wheel drive was delivered through a three-speed transmission with reverse, a worm-driven axle, and a spur differential. The rear suspension combined long semi-elliptic leaf springs with supplementary coil springs. Sankey detachable wheels and Dunlop tyres were fitted. Buyers could choose an open two-seat body or a longer-wheelbase version with a dickey seat. Approximately 800 cyclecars were built. In 1914, Perry introduced a larger car known as the Perry 11.9. It had a four-cylinder, 1,795 cc engine with a 69 mm bore and 120 mm stroke. The larger chassis supported both two-seat and four-seat bodies, many of which were built by Mulliners of Birmingham. Around 300 examples were completed before the First World War brought civilian car production under severe pressure and effectively curtailed Perry's automobile activities. Following the war, the Perry design assets—including the design, jigs, patterns, and tools—were sold to Bean Cars for £15,000. Bean reintroduced the design under its own name as the Bean 11.9. This transfer ended Perry's role as a substantial independent automobile producer. The marque's historical significance rests on its transition from a nineteenth-century pen and bicycle business into motor manufacturing, its early cyclecar engineering, and the continuation of its larger-car design through Bean Cars.

• 1919

  Perry design assets transferred to Bean Cars

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The Perry design, tooling, jigs, and patterns were sold to Bean Cars, which reintroduced the design as the Bean 11.9.

• 1916

  Perry automobile production curtailed

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The First World War curtailed the company's car-building activities after approximately 300 Perry 11.9 cars had been made.

• 1914

  Perry 11.9 introduced

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry expanded into a larger four-cylinder model with 1,795 cc displacement and available two-seat and four-seat bodies.

• 1913

  Perry automobile production begins

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The Perry cyclecar reached production, becoming the marque's principal early commercial model.

• 1912

  Perry cyclecar shown at Olympia

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The lightweight Perry cyclecar was exhibited at the Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Show in London in November.

• 1911

  Cecil Bayliss develops the cyclecar prototype

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  Cecil Bayliss built an 800 cc Fafnir-powered cyclecar that became the basis for the production Perry automobile.

• 1903

  Forecar developed

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry followed its three-wheeler with a forecar, continuing its early efforts to enter motor vehicle production.

• 1899

  First Perry three-wheeler

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The business built an early three-wheeled motor vehicle during its experiments with automotive manufacture.

• 1824

  Perry business established in pen manufacture

  [1]Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org

  James and Stephen Perry began the business in London as makers of pens, establishing the commercial roots later associated with the Perry motor enterprise.

A small British automobile maker positioned around lightweight, relatively compact cars and cyclecars for the early twentieth-century market.

• Cyclecar · 1913

  Perry cyclecar / Perry 8hp

  Perry's principal early model was a lightweight cyclecar derived from Cecil Bayliss's 1911 prototype. It used a water-cooled, twin-cylinder engine built in-house, with both pistons moving together, and drove the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox with reverse. The chassis featured semi-elliptic leaf springs supplemented by coil springs at the rear. It was sold as an open two-seater, with a longer-wheelbase version offering a dickey seat. Approximately 800 were produced.

• Passenger car · 1914

  Perry 11.9

  Introduced in 1914, the Perry 11.9 was a larger four-cylinder automobile powered by a 1,795 cc engine. Its increased size allowed Perry to offer both two-seat and four-seat body styles, with many bodies supplied by Mulliners of Birmingham. Approximately 300 cars were built before wartime conditions curtailed production. The design later passed to Bean Cars and was revived as the Bean 11.9.

• 1919

  Transfer of Perry design and tooling to Bean CarsM&A

  Background

  After wartime disruption had curtailed Perry automobile production, the company's larger-car design and associated production assets were available for transfer.

  Action taken

  The design, jigs, patterns, and tools were sold to Bean Cars for £15,000.

  Aftermath

  Bean Cars reintroduced the design as the Bean 11.9, effectively ending Perry's role as an independent automobile producer.

  Asset sale price. £15,000 (1919)

  Source

1. 1Perry (car)en.wikipedia.org