Beardmore

GB, 1920 – 1928

Beardmore Motors Ltd, Glasgow

Beardmore, a new make in 1920, started life in what might be called the traditional Scots manner as fas as cars are concerned – with extremely strong, solid, reliable, rather expensive motor cars, notably only for the fact that the three Beardmore models were made in three different towns – Glasgow, Paisley (in a former Arrol-Johnston works) and Coatbridge – and for their forward-tilting radiator fillers. The 1.656cc Beardmore Eleven, the 2.413cc Beardmore Fifteen (designed mainly as a taxi) and the 4-litre Beardmore Thirty were all 4-cylinder, side-valve machines. The first and last were virtually unknown outside Scotland. However, in 1922 there arrived a new Beardmore model of the Beardmore Eleven for sale which combined the Beardmore’s existing virtues with technical interest and high performance. It now had a bigger bore providing 1.860cc, and overhead camshaft, and four forward speeds. A sports version Beardmore, the most famous, used a 2-litre engine and aluminium pistons, so that although like all the breed, it was a heavy car, it could exceed 70mph. A highly-modified version took the course record at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in 1925. After that, the car was superseded by the obscure side-valve Beardmore Sixteen, and little was seen of the name except on taxicabs, though Beardmore remained famous in other fields of engineering.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

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