Thank you for the explanation to David’s question Saviem - Far more than I could hope to reply with 
Steve
Michel,
That SM260 is registered in department 39, in other words the French Jura, a Region which features France’s coldest town - Mouthe, France’s harshest climate. It is not unusual for these mountainous areas to be exposed to -20c or worse. Needless to say, this Region is France’s largest consumer of de-icing road salt.
In addition, the license plate is white not black background, which suggests that this plate (though not necessarily the registration) is post-1996 or so. Who said that these cabs did not stand the test of time? Apart from some modest rust above the mudguard, it looks very clean! Do you know if it is still in operation, or at least in some form of preservation?
I have to say, i often drive through France from Geneva all the way to the Dordogne. I occasionally see an old R-series Renault, I even know of an old TR280 acting as a yard shunter around Ussel, Corrèze, but I simply NEVER see the venerable SAVIEM SM series anymore, whether active or even simply parked. A shame. Except for a rare SM170 which I saw late june, love that peculiar turbo whistle, unusually loud!
Bonne soirée
David
The SM with the crane is from 1975 and never in use nowadays…The SM 170 had no turbo ,only the SM 280 TU had one.
Well then I stand corrected, I must say it was not exactly close by. It was a daycab and looked smaller, more narrow than a daycab version of the larger model SM240-260 etc.
But definitely a SAVIEM, in their usual blue livery.
Am I right in saying that the whistle on the SM280T was very loud?
Steve
Evening Gentlemen, Davidoff, yes that whistle on the Turbo SM280TU, (and in the UK the 36. 280), was pure music! To my knowledge there was only ever one SM38.280 TU registered in the UK. That to Douglas Freight Services in Douglas, Isle of Man. The “true” owner being that likeable “reprobate” Don Griffiths, owner of Allwood Transport of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Registered 280MAN, and supplied via Jean L`Harridon of Cap du Finisterre, via Savifrance in Rennes.
Steve, I set out tonight to write a few words about my friends at Transports Onatra, how she was created, how she developed, and how she grew. The true business, the “whispers”, the absolute giant that she became, and her demise, split into so many entities, (Onatra, Onalor, Onasud,Onater,Translaque, and Sogestra . A story that is so similar to our UK Stobart Group…
Her vehicles, Willeme, Berliet, Magirus, DAF, Berliet/Renault, and of course Saviem. The trailers, Dorsey, Coder, Fruehauf, the “road railers”, the way the fleet was identified, the enormous International traffic generated, the incredible operation at Vitrolles, Saint Auban, Challon sur Saone, Roye, Saint Avold , Lyon, Paris. The personalities involved, Jean Arconstanzo, George Barrier, then my friend Freddy Van Gaever.
Onatra broke the mould of French Transporters…and they pre-dated many business trends of the 20th century, and when you did business with Onatra…you had really worked for it!!!..And you enjoyed it!!!
But its been a long day, 0.4.30 start, and I`ve just finished, but the Hay looks good!..and my good lady has just come into the barn…reminded me of my “advanced” years, and intimated the consequences of not coming in for my tea!!!
So my story will have to wait…michel, do yo have any photographs of Onatras Willeme K15 8 Bs, or R15Tp lorries, for few in the UK will have ever seen such “magnificent” beasts!
For my own safety, I must go to “dine”, and a little Bollinger!
Cheerio for now.
I imagine few of them if any would have had a webasto. Those January nights up in that uninsulated glasshouse must sometimes have been proper cold.
Hey SAVIEM,
Onatra, at that time France`s largest “hire and reward” haulier was very aware of its purchasing power, and a very hard company to do (profitable) business with! In 1976 Onatra purchased 100 DAF FT2805 DKTD tractors, in the November DAF lost out and Magirus won an order for 200, comprising M310D19S for long distance, and M270D19FS for regional work. 1977 “we” got back with an order for 200 SM 340T, 4x2 tractors. The SM340T was fited with the new D2858 V8 of 15.45 litres, developing 335cv (SAE), a product of the joint Mercedes Benz, MAN design collaboration. Transmission by Fuller 9 speed, and hub reduction axle. Powerful, and utterly reliable, perhaps one of the best “fleet” lorries of its age. Then of course came the PS30, and its short lived market career!
Was it not only the PS 30 and HL38 which had the MAN MB designed engine’s as 6 in lines? and the PX’s were never sold I think. And the SM340 had the MAN 304 engine??.
MAN as a 250,275 and 304, as Saviem 280,300,340. here in belgium every MAN dealer sold saviem’s as well,so if you wished reliability but at a cheap pice,you could chose the Saviem and here they were all with the old MAN V8 1968 design even sold at the end of the '70’s. Those engines were reliable but a bit heavy on fuel for our norms here compared with the other heavy’s as F89 and the 141.
A bit the same as UNIC,if you wanted a cheap one they offered you an OM. But the OM was only a rebadged UNIC with a bit other braking system for the Italian norms.
Bye Eric,
Saviem SM in Netherlands.
michel:
Saviem SM in Netherlands.
Bonjour Michel, is this a restored Saviem because it has an young trailer on it and already the yellow number plate■■? if it is a picture in it’s days it must one of the late '70’s.
thanks for the nice pic.
Been already one the road this year with the N88,we will be again in Hilleshein Germany this year,just not too far away for us about 350km from the Belgian coast.
Salutations Eric,
Evening all, for those of you interested in the Onatra Company, michel has kindly put up a photograph of an inline 8 cylinder Willeme in Onatras original livery on the Willeme thread.
Thank you michel,
Cheerio for now
Evening all, well, Saviem in the Dutch market, now that is an interesting one. Of course we had BIM as our main importer, but when we go south into Belgium, well it gets really interesting!!
The Flandrians liked Berliet( because of the importer), who also handled AEC. But the Waloons, (French speakers), liked the Saviems, for obvious reasons…and a bit like Ireland North, and South, …never the “twain” would meet. Believe me I`ve had some fearsome negotiations with either parties…and the conclusion I reached, (personally), well the Flandrians , (and I liked their company, and attitude), were like the Dutch,…short arms, and very deep pockets…like the Scotish…but with more sense of humour!!! The Waloons, well just like doing business with the French, deep negotiation, and the sudden realisation that as it was built in France, well of course it was the best available!!!
I could of course give a long discourse on both markets,…but it would by nature be boring in the extreem,…Belgium, and Holland were to Saviem, and Berliet, just like the island of Ireland, North, and South, a truly fantastic place to do business!!! And I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT, GOOD, OR BAD!
I`m away to the Bollinger, for we have nearly 100 acres to "small bale " tommorow…such happy memories to recall!
Cheerio for now.
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Steve
Evening all, that last version of the Saviem cab carried so much insulation, despite the glazed area, that she was cool in summer, and warm in winter…but even the early ones were well insulated.
Lovely lorry that PS30, light, powerful, and oh so cheap to operate…no wonder the Berliet engineers wanted her killed off, in favour of the “lardy arse” TRs.
Cheeerio for now.
Steve
Steve
Saviem JL 20 T with seldom Cottard cab.
An internal mag from Onatra.
Do our friend “Saviem” recognize any people ?
tiptop495:
Hey SAVIEM,
Onatra, at that time France`s largest “hire and reward” haulier was very aware of its purchasing power, and a very hard company to do (profitable) business with! In 1976 Onatra purchased 100 DAF FT2805 DKTD tractors, in the November DAF lost out and Magirus won an order for 200, comprising M310D19S for long distance, and M270D19FS for regional work. 1977 “we” got back with an order for 200 SM 340T, 4x2 tractors. The SM340T was fited with the new D2858 V8 of 15.45 litres, developing 335cv (SAE), a product of the joint Mercedes Benz, MAN design collaboration. Transmission by Fuller 9 speed, and hub reduction axle. Powerful, and utterly reliable, perhaps one of the best “fleet” lorries of its age. Then of course came the PS30, and its short lived market career!Was it not only the PS 30 and HL38 which had the MAN MB designed engine’s as 6 in lines? and the PX’s were never sold I think. And the SM340 had the MAN 304 engine??.
MAN as a 250,275 and 304, as Saviem 280,300,340. here in belgium every MAN dealer sold saviem’s as well,so if you wished reliability but at a cheap pice,you could chose the Saviem and here they were all with the old MAN V8 1968 design even sold at the end of the '70’s. Those engines were reliable but a bit heavy on fuel for our norms here compared with the other heavy’s as F89 and the 141.A bit the same as UNIC,if you wanted a cheap one they offered you an OM. But the OM was only a rebadged UNIC with a bit other braking system for the Italian norms.
Bye Eric,
Hi Tiptop. I thought the SM280/300/340 V8s had the old D21 MAN engine, with power outputs as you describe. The D28 was a much later (1980s?) bored-out version of the D25, which was the result of the Mercedes collaboration. Correct me if I am wrong.
I did not realise that OM’s were sold in Belgium or, indeed, anywhere else other than Italy. I am surprised that they were considered to be a cheaper lorry than Unic, given that the OM 340V8 was, as you say, a badge-engineered Unic 340V8- in other words, practically identical. Fiat’s policy in the late 1960s was unusual: they spent all the money to develop a new cab, then put the tilting version on Unic and OM while restricting themselves to the fixed version. They allowed Unic and OM to use the big V8 engine, but their own range had only a six cylinder engine. Why would they give their own products an inferior specification to those of their subsidiaries?