Bean and Gone

Bean and Gone

Sir,

In the June 1952 issue there was a letter about a car I once owned — a 1923 Bean 14 tourer. An admirer of the car had written to you praising its stamina for travelling frequently between Worthing and Inverness. It was a great car; no swift performer but a wonderfully reliable, companionable sturdy slogger and I very sadly sold it in August 1955, having had it since August 1951.

I was the second owner of the car. The first was a Captain Lawson of Inverpolly who owned it from 1923 until 1951. It lay fallow on his estate from 1936-51.

The point of my letter is to find out if this wonderful car (in very good condition in 1955) is still about. In June this year I wrote to the central motor registration people in South Wales and they replied regretting that they knew nothing of the registration number. My hope is that the car may still exist but that it’s not be licensed.

The car’s details are: FD 2380, (Harper) Bean Long 14 Tourer, first registered 1923. If anyone knows anything about this car, I should be delighted to hear from him. I still have the first owner’s very detailed maintenance log from 1923-1936 and also an illustrated spares manual, two handbooks and some of the first owner’s correspondence with the Harper Bean Company and with myself.

If there is a present owner of this lovely car I will send these relics to him. R W WEST Knowlton, Canada (Letters will be forwarded)