Meanwhile, here’s another clearer picture of one of Vermeulen’s units:
Have been speaking to a french driver over the last couple of days about number 12 on the register. The Orange draw-bar that was photographed in 1985 at Chalon-sur-Saone.
He has confirmed that the company that owned it was La Fleche Marseillaise whos depot was at Sorbiers on the outskirts of St Etienne which is about 50 kms from Lyon roughly.
The driver drove for the company and has informed me there were “two” of these NGC’s draw-bars,and from memory they were bought around
1975. This confirms the information that i was told before when that driver said they were bought around 76/77.
The two draw-bar’s were bought to do runs to the Middle East which they did do,however he says they did not complete many trips.
He remembers them being sold in about 1980,which again ties in with the photo taken above in 1985 at Chalon-sur-Saone which is
roughly a 100 kms or so north of Lyon.
Now it may be a coincidence but we know that an Italian correspondent that has already taken several pics of NGC’s spotted 2 white NGC
draw-bar’s but did not have time to photograph them. We also know that some NGC’s were painted white like below.
Therefore its a “possibility” that the two NGC’s the Italian saw were infact La Fleche’s two heading to the Middle East via Italy to catch the
ferry at Bari ? Loads of companies have sent vehicles out on trips in there factory colours before having them sprayed if they were busy.
If it was indeed La Fleche’s it would make sense to send them together as we are all aware of the problems that the Middle East run
presents. Obviously it may not have been there trucks but its a point to consider.
DEANB:
Have been speaking to a french driver over the last couple of days about number 12 on the register. The Orange draw-bar that was photographed in 1985 at Chalon-sur-Saone.2
He has confirmed that the company that owned it was La Fleche Marseillaise whos depot was at Sorbiers on the outskirts of St Etienne which is about 50 kms from Lyon roughly.
The driver drove for the company and has informed me there were “two” of these NGC’s draw-bars,and from memory they were bought around
1975. This confirms the information that i was told before when that driver said they were bought around 76/77.The two draw-bar’s were bought to do runs to the Middle East which they did do,however he says they did not complete many trips.
He remembers them being sold in about 1980,which again ties in with the photo taken above in 1985 at Chalon-sur-Saone which is
roughly a 100 kms or so north of Lyon.Now it may be a coincidence but we know that an Italian correspondent that has already taken several pics of NGC’s spotted 2 white NGC
draw-bar’s but did not have time to photograph them. We also know that some NGC’s were painted white like below.1
0
Therefore its a “possibility” that the two NGC’s the Italian saw were infact La Fleche’s two heading to the Middle East via Italy to catch the
ferry at Bari ? Loads of companies have sent vehicles out on trips in there factory colours before having them sprayed if they were busy.
If it was indeed La Fleche’s it would make sense to send them together as we are all aware of the problems that the Middle East run
presents. Obviously it may not have been there trucks but its a point to consider.
Strewth! I’ll have to open a provisional file under No.97. And yet more NGCs on the Middle-East run. [I was right to call the books Lorries of Arabia 
]
You did well to find these French contacts Dean.
A couple of details:
-
I wonder if La Fleche had more than one depot, as the address I originally received for No.12 was La Talaudiere dept 42.
-
The six white NGCs lined up in ERF’s yard were destined for Falcon Freight Dubai. We thought the white drawbar was part of the other six that went out to Falcon Freight Jeddah, as for some obscure reason (prob to get round Arab import regs) they were dispatched as long wheelbase tractors. The other factor is that this shade of white was ERF’s primer colour prior to being given its final livery, so all NGCs will have started life in off-white.
Keep up the research mate!
PS The NGC was type-approved in France at 42 tonnes gcw.
Dean’s news that the La Fleche NGCs did Middle-East brings the total of NGCs known either to have run down to the M/E or performed ‘internals’ there to 38.
ERF-NGC-European:
A couple of details:
I wonder if La Fleche had more than one depot, as the address I originally received for No.12 was La Talaudiere dept 42.
The six white NGCs lined up in ERF’s yard were destined for Falcon Freight Dubai. We thought the white drawbar was part of the other six that went out to Falcon Freight Jeddah, as for some obscure reason (prob to get round Arab import regs) they were dispatched as long wheelbase tractors. The other factor is that this shade of white was ERF’s primer colour prior to being given its final livery, so all NGCs will have started life in off-white.
Keep up the research mate!
Not sure if La Fleche had more depots but will ask the driver.
With regard to the white coloured two draw-bars i cant see who else it can of been apart from La Fleche ?
I agree that ERF’s factory finish is red ,however over the years manufactuers have offered a white/cream finish as well.
If you look at the Mabo adverts you can see they are all red with white cab roofs,however the Best Trucks one is clearly white, and remember
Preval had a white/cream demonstrator. So i would say without doubt that some were exported all in white. It was probably cheaper if you
went for the white finish,especially if you were going to spray them anyway.
DEANB:
ERF-NGC-European:
A couple of details:
I wonder if La Fleche had more than one depot, as the address I originally received for No.12 was La Talaudiere dept 42.
The six white NGCs lined up in ERF’s yard were destined for Falcon Freight Dubai. We thought the white drawbar was part of the other six that went out to Falcon Freight Jeddah, as for some obscure reason (prob to get round Arab import regs) they were dispatched as long wheelbase tractors. The other factor is that this shade of white was ERF’s primer colour prior to being given its final livery, so all NGCs will have started life in off-white.
Keep up the research mate!
Not sure if La Fleche had more depots but will ask the driver.
With regard to the white coloured two draw-bars i cant see who else it can of been apart from La Fleche ?
I agree that ERF’s factory finish is red ,however over the years manufactuers have offered a white/cream finish as well.
If you look at the Mabo adverts you can see they are all red with white cab roofs,however the Best Trucks one is clearly white, and remember
Preval had a white/cream demonstrator. So i would say without doubt that some were exported all in white. It was probably cheaper if you
went for the white finish,especially if you were going to spray them anyway.3
2
1
0
You make a very fair point Dean, regarding the possibility of an alternative factory white to the usual Rocket Red. A fair point too, that the Pesanti-spotted pair could very well be the La Fleche NGCs and, as you say, it is hard to believe they could be anything else. If we can find someone to verify this among the older French transport historians and drivers, we can safely remove Nos 78 & 78 from the register!
Ro
Here’s a clearer pic of KDM on the '75 Euro Test. It was sent to me this afternoon by someone who spotted it in FB. It’s probably from a press photo. 
It’s odd that we still have no idea what became of this ERF demonstrator after the test. The most obvious fate would have been purchase by a UK operator. A lesser possibility is that it was sold abroad and re-registered. Or perhaps it was written off in infancy… Another mystery. 
ERF-NGC-European:
Here’s a clearer pic of KDM on the '75 Euro Test. It was sent to me this afternoon by someone who spotted it in FB. It’s probably from a press photo.It’s odd that we still have no idea what became of this ERF demonstrator after the test. The most obvious fate would have been purchase by a UK operator. A lesser possibility is that it was sold abroad and re-registered. Or perhaps it was written off in infancy… Another mystery.
Heres a reply to my post on facebook from a fella that worked at ERF with a possible theory ■■
Number 95 on the index.
Who found this pic Ro ? Is it a rigid ?
DEANB:
ERF-NGC-European:
Here’s a clearer pic of KDM on the '75 Euro Test. It was sent to me this afternoon by someone who spotted it in FB. It’s probably from a press photo.It’s odd that we still have no idea what became of this ERF demonstrator after the test. The most obvious fate would have been purchase by a UK operator. A lesser possibility is that it was sold abroad and re-registered. Or perhaps it was written off in infancy… Another mystery.
Heres a reply to my post on facebook from a fella that worked at ERF with a possible theory ■■
That’s a very credible possibility, Dean; and would account for a brand-new vehicle going dead on us. It’s a serious consideration. A word of caution though, on page 6 of Book 3 I describe a Freelance Directors Productions film called ERF 1974 in which there is quite some footage of A & B-series ERFs of that period undergoing punishing trials at MIRA and on the road haulage proving grounds. It also shows NGCs but not on the track. Testing a 1975 production model two years after the NGC was released and after having successfully beaten most of the opposition in the Ardenne on that year’s Euro-Test might just smack of closing the stable doors after the horse has bolted! Most of this kind of testing would have been completed by the time the first production vehicles left the line.
I remember picking up two virgin Toyota Corolla saloons from their factory in Turkey and taking them in a tilt trailer (!) to MIRA to be front-ended and side-impact tested to destruction, presumably to qualify for importation.
Ro
DEANB:
Number 95 on the index.Who found this pic Ro ? Is it a rigid ?
0
It was Cookie who first drew my attention to this, Deano. He found it on FB and I posted it with another new picture on this thread. He and I discussed whether it was a unit or a draw-bar and we both agreed it was a unit, judging by the perspective (if it were a drawbar, the upright sides of the body would be almost flush with the cab at that end elevation). I’m open to discussion, however! It was apparently on a fairground so it was past its normal working life. Continental showmen tended to favour units over drawbars.
Ro 
ERF-NGC-European:
“DEANB” Number 95 on the index.Who found this pic Ro ? Is it a rigid ?
It was Cookie who first drew my attention to this, Deano. He found it on FB and I posted it with another new picture on this thread. He and I discussed whether it was a unit or a draw-bar and we both agreed it was a unit, judging by the perspective (if it were a drawbar, the upright sides of the body would be almost flush with the cab at that end elevation). I’m open to discussion, however! It was apparently on a fairground so it was past its normal working life. Continental showmen tended to favour units over drawbars.
Ro
Not so sure, personally i think its a rigid as van is parked too close behind for an artic,but thats just my opinion. Looks like power
cables to the rhs so makes you think it may have had generators on board. I doubt if they bought it new ?
Looks like the old garage has probably been demolished and built on.
Amazing how things come together with snippets of information. Small article about ERF’s dealers/agents in Europe and the UK from
1977 which is intresting.
We were talking about the 2 NGC’s that La Fleche operated out of Sorbiers and look where there was a dealer !
Click on pages twice to read.
I imagine Roland Dussaillant would have ordered his NGC through that garage at Sorbiers via Mabo as he was based in Voiron
which was not far away ?
Interesting stuff ^^^.
Dept 38 may be worth looking at a little more closely for other ERF operators then
Regarding this set of pics that you posted, Dean:
I think the bottom right-hand picture must have been a bit of ‘photographer’s licence’! That picture was taken at the 1974 Brussels show. Here’s another picture taken from the opposite side. You can just see the NGC to the left of the picture.
Ro
Rowena,
The right picture down is in Amsterdam as Best Truck Import was responsible for Dutch sales and CDB for Belgium sales.
The shows were bi-annual, so year 1 in Amsterdam and year 2 in Brussels
ERF-NGC-European:
Regarding this set of pics that you posted, Dean:0
I think the bottom right-hand picture must have been a bit of ‘photographer’s licence’! That picture was taken at the 1974 Brussels show. Here’s another picture taken from the opposite side. You can just see the NGC to the left of the picture.
Ro
Have we been blown out as a Mod ? 
Oh dear mustn’t grumble I suppose
ERF-Continental:
Rowena,The right picture down is in Amsterdam as Best Truck Import was responsible for Dutch sales and CDB for Belgium sales.
The shows were bi-annual, so year 1 in Amsterdam and year 2 in Brussels
Yes, sorry - I did mean Amsterdam (as it even says on the caption!). And yes, I do know about Amsterdam’s Auto Rai events as I actually went to one!