Birth of a legend: Bean team return to where roadster was first built

Almost 100 years since The Daily Telegraph’s red Bean 14 roadster rolled off the production line in Dudley, in the West Midlands of England, the Bean team returned to its roots. SPONSORED CONTENT

Almost 100 years to the day that The Daily Telegraph’s red Bean 14 sports special rolled off the production line in Dudley, in the West Midlands, the Bean team returned to its roots.

Cartoonist Warren Brown bought the imported British vintage car in Canberra 18 years ago and restored it to recreate Francis Birtles’ 1927 epic drive from London to Melbourne.

Standing on the steps of the old Bean factory outside Birmingham, underneath the original Bean factory logo, he was overwhelmed by the history.

Warren Brown and Matthew Benns at the Bean Factory in Dudley, England, where their Bean 14 roadster rolled off the production line 100 years ago. Picture: Supplied.

“It is absolutely amazing to be here where this car was made almost a century ago,” he said. “And behind this original office building is the old Bean factory.”

The Bean office is being turned into apartments and the factory is now a shop fit out manufacturer. Inside, the belts and pulleys for the machines used to manufacture the cars can still be seen overhead in the rafters.

“Before the factory made cars, it produced shot and shell for the Royal Navy,” Brown said. “The old iron trolleys they used back then are still in use.”

Today the links between Australia and the Bean’s origins in Dudley continue with one of the trip’s key sponsors, Harvey Norman, opening its first store on the English mainland just seven minutes’ drive from the original factory.

Workers from the Bean Factory in the early part of the 20th century.

The new flagship store at Merry Hill is run by Harvey Norman UK managing director Lachlan Roach, an Aussie who sees parallels between the demographic of the Midlands and western Sydney, where the original flagship store is today.

“We have got two stores in Northern Ireland but, as far as being in Great Britain, this is our first foray into England and the West Midlands has been very welcoming,” he said.

“We love the people … a rich diverse culture not dissimilar to Western Sydney where our flagship store is in Auburn,” Mr Roach said. “Good size, good footprint, great retail landscape and the diversity helps with our ranging of product.”