May 2014 - La Locomotion en fête - South of Paris

[davidoff]

Hello all, hello Monsieur SAVIEM,

Thanks for that post. For a farmer engaged in of his busiest periods of the year, you have still taken the time to write such an extensive response.
I am sure the other readers were as amused as I was about the Red Leg Partridge chicks and their caring mothers.

La Locomotion, what an event it was. In fact I approached it with a degree of caution since I had not been too impressed with Interlaken the year before, but that is another story. What I did look forward to was catching up with Terry / Neil / Glenn and meeting Pete & Steve, and that kept more than its promise!
And not only were there beautiful vehicles on display, the atmosphere in general was just splendid.

Now to answer some of your points:

• The “cabine de pigeonnier” or birdhouse Sed Atki cabs - well they certainly caught much attention especially when I explained to some visitors that they were actually made of wood. That is something the French abandoned well before the Brits I think, so they were really surprised. The irreverent questions here and there about who between Pete and Steve slept on top (on the single bunk) made for some good fun too.

Saviem:
Your friends “Le Centaure” really is a find! Lee Centaure `s could be ordered from the local Dealer, but to a variety of specifications. You could have the basic Lamberet roof, with the raised bunk and kitchen, or just the standard trim inside, depended upon the depth of your pocket! I love the look of a vehicle that has been worked, and she has that look. I seem to remember a sub contractor for Stouff having a Centaure spec V8…could this be that same one…the colours right. When Julien gets around to the cab, make sure he puts the missing pair of spot/fog lamps on!! Good luck to him, he has a real beauty there, and a real rare one indeed.

• His was probably the basic execution, he has no kitchen or chemical toilets by way of passenger seat. No further amenities just a lot of space. Worth noting that the interior is in surprisingly good condition as you might have noticed if you opened the video link. Much to my amusement, they re-used many commands which I remember very clearly from my parents’ Renault 14 TL back in the late 70s. Exactly the same design!)
  One thing I doubt is whether Stouff would have ever used a Centaure, even as a Subbie. I think they went bust as early as 1976, whereas did the Berliet Centaure not come out only in 1978? Might it be another Customer this Centaure subbed for? I might persuade Julien to share a few of the older pictures, and with his agreement I would post them on here.
  Another important thing is that Julien doesn’t own only this Renault lorry (though it’s his only Centaure), he has a whole fleet of beauties including an R390 V8 and a Berliet municipal bus to name but a few.

Saviem:
Those V8 Unic T270 6x4s were an imposing, (but with a look never to be forgotten with that Geneve cab), I hope that you heard her running, for (like your own handsome R142E), that Unic V can sound really good to the afficianadoes ear! Were there any of the later versions of the T340 V8 Izoard at La Loco? The one where Unic, (with a little help from Geneve), made the Fiat 619 cab tilt over that wonderful sonerous V8.

• Yes we were lucky enough to hear her drive by. A very peculiar sound.
  In fact, I have been in Russia quite frequently in the early 2000s and got used to hearing those old KAMA3 V8s plodding by, and at first I thought it was one of them! The same raw, crude sound. Really nice.
  And yes there was also a T340 and beautifully restored, but somehow I cannot find back my photo.

Saviem:
Your picture of the chauffeur sleep testing the Relax cab TR250 of about 68/69…seems modest in size, yet was a sensational cab in its day…just remember, (and I can so vividly), what the equivalent Foden, ERF, and Atkinson cab was at that time…not in the same league…or world!

• I once was able to lie down in one and my 6ft8 fit in quite nicely, I could readily spend a night (or a week) in one without any problem. I was very impressed. And I love those chromed dials and the general appearance of the dash.

I have started a few chats with the other guys and it seems everybody is looking forward to joining again next year, so there should be some fun.

Cheers
David

[davidoff]

Saviem:
David, just a little PS,

Did our friend Michel show any of his Berliets at La Loco, or his sons wonderful Nez de Requin? I hope to be visiting my pal, and my Daughters Godfather who lives in the Var before Christmas…I wonder if M Bonifay would let me see his collection? Now that would be something to look forward to!

Cheerio for now…Ive poured a (small) Bollinger to help me through the DEFRA documents…

Good point John. In fact, if Michel (and his son for that matter) had attended Locomotion they would have featured extensively in my photo report.
I was lucky enough to meet both of them on a few occasions and was invited to admire their fleet, beautiful. Sadly they were not able to come this year but hopefully next year they will be there.

As for Monsieur Bonifay and his Willèmes: you being a distinguished member of the Willème/Bernard/Berliet/Saviem appreciation society, I imagine he should be pleased to welcome you and demonstrate his collection.
I must say that I did not meet Monsieur Bonifay in person but I think Michel knows him quite well so he might be of help.

[michel]

Hello, I was not in La Locomotion because I don’t like to have to pay to exhibit my lorry and don’t drive, just show and speak…
This year we had a rally in Burgundy for the lorries towards 1965 and we had pleasure to drive through the vineyards with these old Willeme,Bernard and Berliet.
The Saturday afternoon we drove through the town of Beaune on 2 lines,wonderful !
My son’s Willeme and my 3 Berliet went by road ans so was the return trip on the Sunday afternoon using little roads with trees along and we did’tn have any problems in spite of around 600 kilometers.

Mr Bonifay should be welcome to show you his old lorries , he lives close to Toulon.

[julien]

Hello everybody! First of all please forgive me because I use a translator and I do not speak English about the whole. I allow to come on your forum which is very interesting and rich in photos to bring you some precision on my Centaur whom David very nicely presented you, indeed all that told you David is exact. He(it) made the Middle East during 10 years to transport Rossignol of Loches (France 37), some of you we can be known, he(it) had for a few years a decoration Lucky-Lucke on the face before, if it interests you I would put you photos of time(period) when he(it) made the line. Today he is the last real still existing known Centaur. See you soon I hope…

bonjour tout le monde ! tout d’abord veuillez me pardonner car j’utilise un traducteur et je ne parle pas anglais du tout . Je me permets de venir sur votre forum qui est très intéressant et riche en photos pour vous apporter quelques précisions sur mon Centaure que David vous a très joliment présenté, en effet tout ce que vous a dit David est exact . Il a fait le Moyen-Orient pendant 10 ans chez les transports Rossignol de Loches ( France 37), certains d’entre vous l’on peut être connu, il a eu pendant quelques années une décoration Lucky-Lucke sur la face avant, si cela vous intéresse je vous mettrais des photos d’époque quand il faisait la ligne . Aujourd’hui il est le dernier véritable Centaure connu encore existant . À bientôt j’espère…

[davidoff]

Well Julien that is a nice surprise! I did not expect you to appear on this forum, otherwise I would have left you the opportunity of introducing the Centaure yourself.

You will find many many interesting pictures, stories, anecdotes, etc.
And I am sure the members (a large Majority of British, but also various Scandinavians, a few other Frenchmen, a very interesting Belgian, and many other origins) will have great interest in pictures and stories on your Centaure, especially since you were able to recover some of the original pictures from her active service. Make sure you post them, some of the old hands on here might have seen her, or even better, have their own pictures next to their lorries!

Gentlemen, watch this space, Julien is a remarkable man. I think he is not even 30 years old but talks about these old trucks as if he’d spent the past 30 or more years repairing them, which in fairness is probably not far from the truth since he probably spends 80 hours a week with his nose in an engine compartment, when you add up his work and hobby time. What’s more he owns not just this particular Berliet/Renault V8, but has a variety of them, some of them equally as remarkable as the Centaure.

Welcome to the site Julien, let us have some Berlietphilia and Renaultherapy.

---

[jazzandy]

I’m raising une verre du vin rouge ordinaire (Calvet) to this lovely thread for all us Francophiles.

Here’s a pic of my beloved Mack R600 outside the walls of Avignon.

[robert1952]

Jazzandy:
I’m raising une verre du vin rouge ordinaire (Calvet) to this lovely thread for all us Francophiles.

Here’s a pic of my beloved Mack R600 outside the walls of Avignon.

A nice coincidence! I happen to be raising a glass of Reserve de Bonpas (courtesy of monsieur Tesco): relevant to your picture,‘Jazzandy’, it says on the label, ‘Since 1318, the fortified stronghold of Bonpas (from the French, Bon Passage) has watched over the safe crossing point along the route that once linked Rome with Avignon’. So there yer go - salut! Robert

[riverstick]

julien:
Hello everybody! First of all please forgive me because I use a translator and I do not speak English about the whole. I allow to come on your forum which is very interesting and rich in photos to bring you some precision on my Centaur whom David very nicely presented you, indeed all that told you David is exact. He(it) made the Middle East during 10 years to transport Rossignol of Loches (France 37), some of you we can be known, he(it) had for a few years a decoration Lucky-Lucke on the face before, if it interests you I would put you photos of time(period) when he(it) made the line. Today he is the last real still existing known Centaur. See you soon I hope…

Welcome to the forum Julien…Delighted to see a genuine Le Centaure in good hands. The Renault 15 litre V8’s busy sound reminds me of the 14.62 litre Mercedes V8. Here is a link to a relevant thread about Berliet with good discussion of Le Centaure… viewtopic.php?f=35&t=79524&hilit=berliet

[saviem]

michel:
Hello, I was not in La Locomotion because I don’t like to have to pay to exhibit my lorry and don’t drive, just show and speak…
This year we had a rally in Burgundy for the lorries towards 1965 and we had pleasure to drive through the vineyards with these old Willeme,Bernard and Berliet.
The Saturday afternoon we drove through the town of Beaune on 2 lines,wonderful !
My son’s Willeme and my 3 Berliet went by road ans so was the return trip on the Sunday afternoon using little roads with trees along and we did’tn have any problems in spite of around 600 kilometers.

Mr Bonifay should be welcome to show you his old lorries , he lives close to Toulon.

Evening Gentlemen, Francoise, how I identify with your sentiments…old lorries are meant to be driven…and what an area of “Gods country” to choose to drive them in!!!

Gently “rumbling” through those vast acres of Vines, with the Sun beating down…did you stop at a Relais…or Pique- nique■■?

Going back to my beginning with lorries, and a little Foden S20 14 tonne 4x2 box van , back in the 1960s, many of my "back loads to England were from the Vinyards and Chateau`s around Beaune.

But how did I become engaged in this traffic??..

Long before I met my lady wife…I became in love with a handsome young Filly, …rather a high stepper, (in Equestrian terms)… whose splendid Father was a Gentleman Wine Merchant of some stature, in fair Shrewsbury Town. Now I never knew how he really felt about his handsome daughter becoming involved with a “common” lorry driver…but he was far too much a Gentleman to show it…

When the “family” first sent me to France in a lorry…it was because, (mistakenly), they thought that I could speak French…but I got there and back, our clients were happy…and out I went again, and again…

One Sunday lunchtime…(.a very formal affair at said Gentleman Wine Merchants splendid pile outside Welshpool), and I, (with the inane stupidity of youth), was regailing the assembled throng with tales of mountain passes, and sleepy villages…when said Gentleman Wine Merchant asked me if I knew Beaune…“mis oui” I replied…(trying t o think where it was in which “Carte Michelin”)…

The following Thursday I was driving fron Beaune in the vague direction of Nuits St Georges to collect a number of cases of rather special “plonk”…the rate for which…provided that I got it home safely more than paid my cost of getting home to Shropshire…I shall always remember my Uncle exhorting me not to “fall out” with this special girl!!!

The traffic developed…I could find my way across every little road and lane in the wonderful area around Beaune…Arconcey,Suze , and that delightful river from which it gained its name, Verdun sur le Doubs, St Gervais en Vaillere…balmy nights by the side of the gentle Doubs, Sandebois . The busy RN6, nights at Saulieu, those sun kissed Boulevards, the hospitable, (and busy), Routier, Bel Air, walking back to my Foden…by now a “modern” Micky Mouse S21, (no longer looking at the big Berliets, Bernards, and Willemes with awe…for now my camion was the modern one)!!!

Though somewhere near La Rochepot I very nearly lost control on a steep downhill stretch…youth, inattention, and trying to make up time “out of gear” on the downhill stretch…I blame my inattention on the odd "chequer board " roof pattern on a Chateau that caught my attention…as did its range of turrets always had a soft spot for architecture…

The lucrative traffic outlived my romance…she found a farmer-- horse trainer…and me the road…(until I met my present…and only lady wife)…

But I must have done something right…for when my relations decided to “retire” from the hurly- burly, of Hire and Reward Transport…said Gentleman Wine Merchant requested that I carry on for him…

But I chose another direction…right, or wrong? I shall never know…but I regret little…but how I miss that area around Beaune, and Chalon, and the memories that it holds.

Francoise , you are a lucky man to have driven those roads in the" real" vehicles of France, 600 kms…that is nothing for such vehicles of “Pedigree”

I shall raise a (rather) large Bollinger in your direction tonight…

Cheerio for now…perchance you may have a few pictures to show us all?

[robert1952]

Beaune! I quote from one of my Long Distance Diaries (LDD) for TRUCK mag, May '97:

'I finish the day in a terrific thunderstorm at Beaune, watching magenta lightning flicker over the sodden autoroute late into the night.

[Deepest France]. The deluge continues this morning and water lurks in the road, presenting an ever-present risk of aqua-planing. Oncoming French vehicles pour their yellow headlamps into the sprays of truck wheel spindrift. The severity is unremmiting throughout the morning.

Eventually, I leave the motorway and take to the D-roads which lead me into the verdant depths of rural France where chickens scuttle among the buttercups. Each village seems to be in that satisfying permanent state of French dilapidation that we call ‘unspoilt’. Roadside ditches are filled with creamy drifts of cow-parsley and a delicious air of natural abundance prevails…’ Robert

[sime17]

robert1952:
Beaune! I quote from one of my Long Distance Diaries (LDD) for TRUCK mag, May '97:

'I finish the day in a terrific thunderstorm at Beaune, watching magenta lightning flicker over the sodden autoroute late into the night.

[Deepest France]. The deluge continues this morning and water lurks in the road, presenting an ever-present risk of aqua-planing. Oncoming French vehicles pour their yellow headlamps into the sprays of truck wheel spindrift. The severity is unremmiting throughout the morning.

Eventually, I leave the motorway and take to the D-roads which lead me into the verdant depths of rural France where chickens scuttle among the buttercups. Each village seems to be in that satisfying permanent state of French dilapidation that we call ‘unspoilt’. Roadside ditches are filled with creamy drifts of cow-parsley and a delicious air of natural abundance prevails…’ Robert

0

Ah, delightfully flowery prose Robert, (especially the bit about, er, flowers!)