Fergie47:
Another lorry with a gender crisis…is it, or ain’t it … 
either way, nice looking beast
Evening all,
Well Fergie`s picture from 24.08.16 of that Spanish…Chrysler-Dodge-Renault interpretation of the pure Spanish Barreiros lorry, and pv83s resurection of the Spanish Dodge thread sort of got my old head remembering odd bits about these so distinctive machines, just what weights they were capabale of carrying, (back in 82 one of my Venissieux colleagues had just returned from “our” new acquisition in Spain…at dinner one night he said to me, " and you thought that the Italian operators overloaded, well this lot in Spain just accept that the gross weight…is the normal payload"!
So where did these rather unsophisticated, but very strong machines have their roots?
We must go back to a small village in rural Galicia in Spains northwest, where in 1919 the wife of a single bus owner who plied his trade in nearby Orense gave birth to a son, who was christened Eduardo Barreiros
By 12 years of age he was checking tickets on his fathers 1500kg Panhard Levasoir bus. The bus was commandeared by the Nationalists in Spains bloody Civil War…and a 17 year old Eduardo went with it as its driver!
At the end of the War Eduardo Barreiros and his brother established a road mending business, BECOSA, alongside and in competition with many other similar businesses. But unlike the others BECOSA relied from the start on machinery rather than man power. But there was little machinery available, true, but Eduardo established a workshop in Orense where from the very basic lorries available in post civil war Spain he created machines for the business. The very first road sweeper, so BECOSAs sites were clean, and easy to work on. They used ex nationalist forces German Krupp , and Russian 3HC 130 ( later to be known as ZIL) lorries , with thirsty petrol engines to move spoil. But Spain had limited supplies of petrol, and Eduardo set himself the goal of converting these engines to Diesel power!..It took several weeks of trial and tribulation, (not the least of which was the consequential loss of two fingers)!..before the work was completed…with success.
BECOSA grew, (later to become a major construction company in Spain, and closely tied to the growth of Barreiros manufacturing plants), the rebuilding of the sea wall at Casteilon was a major achievement, during which the converted diesel lorries proved a great success…soon word spread , and other operators of petrol engined vehicles requested Barreiros conversions to diesel.
Eduardo had met a young woman, Dorinda, and to impress her he created a radio set for her to use. A radio, today such a simple item, in post civil war Spain was simply unobtainable…so he instructed a cabinet maker to make a housing large enough to take a German car radio, and hide the battery to power it within…They married, (and were to have two children, a daughter Mariluz, and a son Eduardo-Javier), but some idea of Barreiros`s drive can be made from the fact that on their Honeymoon he was questioned about the car they were driving…so sold it to the man who had enquired…and came home on a train!
The workshops at Orense were bulging with work, so Eduardo and Dorinda took the decision to move to Madrid, where ground and new workshops were obtained. This ground at Villavarde was eventually to become one of Spains largest manufacturing sites, extending to 20000 hectares, and provide direct employment for over 25000 workers, with an estimated 50000 working in its supply chain, and would in time become the focus of the largest ever inward investment into the Spanish economy, of over $200,000 usd.
Barreiros was in his 30s when Barreiros Diesel SA was established in 1951, and business growth was rapid. The first “true” Barreiros diesel, the EB1 was a 4 cylinder 2000cc 45hp unit. Followed by the EB2, 3, & 4, the latter a 90hp @ 2200 rpm unit that contemporary sources estimate that over 75% of Spanish lorries were retro fitted with this engine. Later 6 cylinder units drew heavily of the p6 Perkins basic design, Perkins not having bothered to patent the P6 in Spain, “as the Spanish lack real engineering aptitude”…classic British arrogance leading to disaster!..Barreiros innovated off the basic engine to produce a gem of a power unit that was to power the Berliet, (Relax), cabbed 10 tonne Super Azor of 1963…a devastating rival to the “state” ENASA Pegaso Comet…but I am going a little quickly, because all was not calm sailing for Barreiros`s operation.
By 1953 Barreiros wished to build complete lorries, but to do so he had to have the sanction of the INI, (the na tional industrial institute), remember this was Fascist Franco governed Spain, as autocratic, and burecratic as any Communist country. Lorries were built by ENASA -Pegaso, cars by Seat…and the Marquis of Suarez, head of INI would not sanction any competition for the state operations.
Barreiros had been clever in appointing to his Board several members of the Franco inner circle, but they could not help to influence INI, regarding complete vehicles, but a further permit for 1500 engines was issued. But through these contacts Barreiros was aware that the Portugese military were to evaluate all terrain load carriers, with a potential order for 400 units…
Grandpa…odd name for a 4x4 lorry with axles from a Douglas Timber Tractor, steering from a Ford, and the most basic straight panel fabricated bodywork, riding on elipsidol dumper tyres…designed by Barreiros, built by him alongside his workers, (nothing odd in that Barreiros was a hands on engineer, without ever any formal training),and in the trial driven by him!..during which Barreiros`s Grandpa simply eclipsed the US GMC vehicle in every way…and the contract was awarded to Barreiros.
Yet INI simply would not grant the permission to import all the required parts…so ever resourceful Eduardo simply smuggled them into Spain, and built the lorries!..Early 1960s his main board “Francoites” introduced him to Polands Star manufacturing company…they needed engines for their tractors…Barreiros needed lorries…So Barreiros exported diesel engines, (that found their way to China in Star Tractors)…and as payment imported Star chassis cabs, to be fitted with Barreiros engines…these sold well, simple, rugged, and cheap…by 1962 Barreiros was outselling Pegaso in Spain in volume terms…
Deals were signed with Berliet in France to use the new Relax cab shell, with a Barreiros exclusive front panel, (as michels concrete mixer picture), Britains David Brown licenced manufacture of gearbox, and rear axles, and ACLO, (AEC), collaborated on bus manufacture, (coaches for ALSA, and double deckers for Barcelona)…new large power engines were being designed, (using much Scania base information)…
But in his enthusiastic drive forward Eduardo had made one fatal mistake…his products were being sold on finance, and although the agreements were held by Banco de Vizcaya, the responsibility for delinquence was down to Barreiros…Henry Ford once said, “To finance any sale is to foster financial irresponsibility”…and so it was for Barreiros, the debts came rolling in, not just on his lorries, but on his agricultural tractors as well, and even on those odd little Barreiros powered licence built German Tempo lightweights…
2500 of Barreiross production workers were laid off, yet the 10 tonne Super Azor was Spains most succesful lorry, the new multi axles, 6x4, 8x2, 8x4, and heavy tractors were on to prototype stage, Barreiros needed a partner with financial clout, and preferably one who could give him access to a passenger car range as well, because he wished to become number one in all of Spain`s automotive markets!
Enter stage left, the Penta Star of the US Chrysler Corporation, bringing in its suitcase the Dodge Dart, with its slant 6 engine, the little French Simca 1000, their lorry brand Dodge,( for export markets De Soto, and Fargo, and from the UK the 100 , and 500 series)…promises of access worldwide for Barreiros products, and of vital importance an inward investment of $20million, (taken as a whole from 1964 to gaining 100% control in 1969, up to sale to Peugeot-Talbot-Citroen in 1980), the largest ever inward investment Spain had received.
This marriage, one made in heaven on paper, was beset with acrimony, distrust, and mistakes…
The main characters were not ideal suitors, Barreiros, a brilliant self made engineer, a conceptualist, and people person. Loved universally by his workforce, a paternalistic employer very much in the mould of our Quaker industrialists. With the fortune created by his manufacture at La Ciudad de los Angeles he had built a workers town, complete with Hospital, Medical infrastructure, recreation facilities, and schools. He mixed in the highest political circles, and was used to working without constraint…
Chrysler was not a comfortable company…beset with labour relation problems in the US, its Presidency was at that time a “poisened chalice”, offered to many,(including one Richard Nixon…who turned it down), and eventually given to Lynn Townshend. Townsend was the archytypical US numbers and systems man. The accounting methodology of Chrysler and Barreiros was simply operated on two totally different worlds…there was much head scratching and concern at the “creative accounting” practiced in Spain, and from the Spanish side much fear of the total analytical approach of the Americans…
By 1969 Chrysler Espana SA needed a capital injection, Barreiros could not raise the required funding to maintain his shareholding, and Chrysler took 100% control. There were problems with the Chrysler 180 ckd assembled cars, (Chrysler exporting these from Argentina to Spain). The new 11.9 litre Barreiros engine was having reliability issues mainly relating to the pump coupling, and cooling as power was boosted from the initial 270hp, to 320, and finally 355hp. The rounded cab by Catalon based coachbuilder Costa tilted for engine access, unlike rival Pegaso`s fixed structure. As ever Spanish operators saw the 37.5 tonne rating, simply as a guide to payload potential, and consequential issues with the vehicles being rectified mainly by Dealers, originally appointed by Barreiros who had the “can do” attitude, so lacking in the US Managed Villavarde factory.
1978, Chrysler and IH joined forces to buy out ENASA-Pegaso, only IH could not raise the funding…
By 1979 staffing had shrunk to 15500, only 400 building Dodge Chrysler lorries.
1980, Chrysler “fire sold” Chrysler Espana SA to Peugeot Citroen…Who had plans to revitalise European sales of the Spanish built lorries, from the UK and Spanish plants…
Panic in Paris…the French Government were wrestling with the financial morass that was the Saviem Berliet merger…another competitor…oh no…Considerable arm twisting was applied, (with some not insubstantial incentive as well)…
And hey ho…Renault buys the rump of the Barreiros/Chrysler/Dodge/ PSA business…(with the absolute, and total aim of closing both the Spanish, and United Kingdom factories…they already had far too many production plants as it was…and in Spain the Villavarde plant plant had a wall built to seperate the PSA Peugeot car side from the Renault/Barreiros lorry side.Relationships were not good.
So in 1987 it all ended in Spain…and then the UK…
But what of Eduardo Barreiros?..when Chrysler assumed control in 1969 he had to go…and as is te norm, remain away from the industry for 5 years…so away he went, and what to me is the most incredible part of his life began…and in my view his greatest achievements…
If you will forgive me the indulgence I would like to write about this period of his life seperately …for now Im away for a nightcap, and bed.
Cheerio for now.
quite a lot of Barreiros footage on YouTube including a documentary, also a full length film portraying his life. This clip with emphasis on 8 wheelers and very apt accompaniment 
![Lepremiercamiondemonpere.UnHotchkiss [gr].jpg](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/trucknetuk/original/4X/6/4/d/64d82746dcc871738af1772c2a740f6ed30cefed.jpeg)
