Fergie47:
Twin headlights…conversion ? or for a different market…?
Evening all,
Ah my Internet woes that besail me pail into insignificance when I see such posts as Fergie 47s, and pvs,and michels…far too much for me to comment upon tonight…
Those Panhards, with the "slide out " motors, the SOMUAS, with their advanced engineering, and those trailers from that remarkable team based in Marseille, employed by Soc Coder…what incredible engineering…but engineering to “do the job”, not fettered by hide bound restrictive regulation from a central source!
Those shots of Zucconi, Millon, and Robert Leyx, I can pick out both the operators, their management, but far more important to me personally,… the crews that I personally knew, Piere, Robert, Jean Claude, I see their faces on these images, and remember so happily the friendly arguments about the Cyclists, B elgiums Rik Van Looy, Frances Jacques Anquetil, Raymond Poulidor, (and our own Brian Robinson, and Alan Ramsbottom), then came Tom Simpson.........the merits of English Scammell, as opposed to the massive 15 litre Berliets, or the screaming Detroit powered Willemes, the hard to start Diamond Ts, or the Autocars, and of course the “Grandmother Pacifics”…either ■■■■■■■ HB, or straight 220 powered… We were all in love with the driving, the feeling of using “our” skill to beat the elements, …the road…the load…the “management”…what a common bond…and one which I know so many who read these threads share!
But Fergie you ask about the “African Saviem” SM Serie…for that is what your picture shows…Perhaps a few words about Africa…
Just as for our sceptered isle, for France the continent of Africa was a holy grail! Simply divided as Africa Francophile, and Africa non Francophile. The French speakers, and those who simply did not speak French…Colonialism…mais oui…why did “we” not maintain our stance ?
Lets get back to lorries…in 1977 Africa amounted to 2/3 of French International Commercial vehicle activity, and 75% of lorry exports.
Algeria, one had the joint venture SONACOME, (Societie des Constructions Mechaniques), based in Rouiba, the post separation of Algeria buy out of Berliets lorry manufacturing facility…and what a factory…from the foundry…to the assembly…development…(that is why you saw KB Berliet cabs over Deutz V serie engines)…Quite an incredible operation, well managed, well researched, great people, good products…not third world whatsoever!
Marocco…Berliet had been building lorries here from the 1950s and a superb, free thinking engineering team who developed some quite unique vehicles for their own domestic market…(how about a BMC/Leyland .698 4 cylinder engine Berliet with a fibreglass bonnet…that could take easily a 60% overload…year after year…with minimum maintenance)…
Tunisia…60million FF invested into Soc Tunisinne d`industrie automobiles, (STIA),…and the big old Berliets rolled out to do their , (overloaded), work, day after day!
Libya…gaining Governmental approval…(and so much in Africa totally depended upon “Governmental approval”…and the numbers of Suisse bank accounts…Potential 4000 unit market here…but the Italians liked to retain their influence here…But Soc El Kafila really made inroads here in the late `70s.
But then we come to the interesting bit, (and really related to Fergie`s picture…Non Francophile Africa…
You see , Berliet dominated in Francophile Africa, their lorries were produced there, and Saviems influence was really confined to their excellent, (Chausson), designed PSV chassis…
Non Francophile was the region south of the Sahara…where Berliet and Saviem imported via a network of competing franchised concessionaires…and not all French origin…The UK s Scott & Co controlling idilic Mauritious, and Indian Company Ramji, the market for Rowanda…
But in Niger, Marseille based Gaston Négre held sway, also over Toga…Saviem products were imported by CFAO, (Compagnie du Niger Francaise) for Niger, the Congo, Gabon…and even an office in Dakar…(right on thebeach)…(Now how should I know that fact)■■?
Reunion, Upper Bennin, by Reuniion based Soc SERCA…in Guinea , (as ever ), a joint venture with the Government SOCOPRINT)…I will not bore you further with the definition…
But the Holy Grail was the massive market in Nigeria…that should have been totally UK influenced…but my colleague Bernard Momin, (who later came to the UK to head up Renault Vehicule Industriels operation), was top dog…
Now 300 plus Berliet lorries were running here, some on the “Route de l`uranium” operated by over 300 Berliet TLM12 38 tonne, (and that was the starting weight), tractors of Soceitie National des Transporters Nigerienne… (SNTN)…running a 1000 km round trip "shuttle"across the north Nigerian area from the Uranium mines.
Saviems activity in Nigeria was confined to public service vehicles, with over 300 registered, and 400 for Soc Soviem trading as “Water Lines”
And I have ignored the total activities in Chad, Ghana, Liberia, and Mozambique where the Saviem product held the market lead…and I have ignored the outlets in Somalia, Ethopia, Egypt, and the Sudan.
In broad terms, north of the Sahara, Berliet ruled, south, (non Francophile), that was Saviem territiory…and Frgies picture shows the successful lorry…an SM 260, 240 hp straight 6 MAN 6/12 speed ZF MAN rear bogie with a 35 tonne capacity, low geared, (70kph max), similar to a SM 150 tonne rated…easily capable of daily 60 tonne payloads…then came the SM 340…same back end…those “colonials” loaded them to 80/100 tonnes gtw without any issues…the only complaint…the cab was “warmer” than a TLM 15 litre Berliet with “capot”, (bonnet).
Good solid workhorses…utterly dependable, those 16 leaf MAN bogies were indestructible, as was the ZF box, and the big MAN V8…and she would run on “dirty” fuel as well! Oh and those round Cibe lights were a million times better than the “orrible” rectangular units fitted to Euro spec lorries…and the deformation of the bumper in service meant that they were better mounted in the cab front panel as well!
The amalgamation of the opposing Berliet, and Saviem International Teams came under the urbane Jacques Beton, ably assisted by Phillipe Brossette, but the real African expert was Georges Ruaberchera, who held the post of Director of African Operations Francophile. But my friend Roland Pépin, based not in Lyon, but still at Suresnes held the responsibility for Gabon, the Congo, and Senegal . Supported by the able Mdme Catherine Vitalli, (who used to convert my non gramatic reports into “real” French back in `74), and the oh so beautiful, …(.and at my advancing years I can say that now)…Jeanette Connneau…truly a dream team to work within…
So when, at the end of my tether with the increasingly frustrating “Parisien politics”…I tendered my resignation from the USA operation, (despite being offered a direct USA employed permanent Mack post)…I was asked to re- consider, and instead to take up a position with the operations in Chad, Niger, or Gabon…but following the advice of my good lady…(.a lawyer of some repute)…that I would probably end up sharing space in a warm cooking pot with some Methodist Missionary that had fallen foul of the Natives…I left Renault Vehicules Industriels…and came back to “bumbling” around in Britain…
But I have a soft spot for the African operations…
Away to a (large), Bollinger, and to think about the heat, and those dry/ impossibly wet roads I never experienced…
Cheerio for now.