Berliet

Berliet was a French maker of autos, buses, trucks and other utility vehicles, located in Venissieux, beyond Lyons, France.

Early history

Marius Berliet started his experiments with autos in 1894. Some singlecylinder automobiles were adopted in 1900 by a double-cylinder version. In 1902, Berliet took over the plant of Lavirotte & Audibert in Lyons. Berliet started to construct fourcylinder cars featured with a metal chassis frame and honeycomb radiator was utilized instead of wood. The following year, a version was started that was much like modern Mercedes. In 1906, the licence was sold by Berliet for making his version for the American Locomotive Company.

Before World War I, Berliet offered a variety of versions from 8 CV to 60 CV. The primary versions had fourcylinder engines, and there is a version of 9500 cc. A 1539 cc version was created between 1910 and 1912. From 1912, sixcylinder versions were made upon orders only.

The organization created 40 trucks per day. Moreover it also made complete turrets and other important components for your Renault FT tank. Following the war, 15 CV, 12 CV and 22 CV were created.

An extra 7 CV seemed in 1924. From 1925 the maker was creating its auto bodies. New sixcylinder versions adopted in 1927.

From 1933, just fourcylinder versions were provided. For 1939 Berliet ceased creating auto bodies and the last couple of hundred Berliet Dauphines, created within the very first half of 1939, and used the body of the Peugeot 302B with a customized Berlit hood/bonnet and radiator grille.

SECOND World War and consequences

Berliet GLR

Standard passenger car production ended in 1939 and following WWII, the organization created trucks only, with buses added for the number afterwards. Nevertheless, over 20 brandnew sedans were inside the factory once the Germans requisitioned it in June 1940, and these were instantly put into service. The firm was handed back to your family in 1949, except to Marius Berliet's son Paul as following a creator's departure before that year.

In his 1975 publication, Vichy France: old guard and new order: 1940 1944, Robert Paxton compared the destiny of the Berliet truck factory in Lyons, which stayed in Marius Berliet's family property, despite his having made 2,330 trucks for the Germans. -- And also the fate of Louis Renault's manufacturing plants, which had also been seized -- suggesting the Renault factory may have been returned to Louis Renault along with his family, had he lived more. Marius Berliet, who died in 1949, had however "stubbornly refused to comprehend legal steps against him following the war."

Because it happened, Renault's were the sole factories eternally seized by the French authorities.

It was intended in 10 months in the manufacturing plant in Courbevoie, outside Paris, with another built in 1958 and two additional T100s built in 1959.

Citroen, Renault and death

In August 1967, it was reported that Berliet had been absorbed by Citroen, Berliet share holders getting Citroen shares in exchange for their Berliet stock. In 1966, Berliet's final-year as an independent, that they had created about 17,000 units. After the takeover the combined business said that Citroen-Berliet would control 58% of France's marketplace for commercial vehicles above 6 tons. Citroen itself was owned by Michelin since 1934 following a money crisis of its.

With this time, Michelin possessed both Berliet and Citroen. However, following the 1973 oil crisis, to be able to pay attention to its tyre company Michelin chose to divest itself of both of these companies.

Other products which survived the merger are the 1973 VXB-170 4x4 armoured personnel carrier for the French Military and the others.