That interior is in nice condition Julien…Any pictures of the other trucks in your collection? Was the the TR320 a V8 also?
Hey Julien, Nice that a Middle Easter has survived, nice looking interieur, be carefull with it, I think you find not a second or ■■?
It was the first high roof in Europe ■■? if not White■■? but that was a US cab, from factory it was Volvo direct followed by RVI and later DAF■■?
Hey Riberstick, all were V 8’ but not sure if the R420 was it still■■? and the TR300 was V8 too but a different engine.
A company here had some of them 360/370/390 reliable but a bit heavy on fuel but better as the Fiat’s V8 and uses today still the AE’s and the new model.
A complete answer must come from Julien.
Cheers Eric,
hi! yes I have pictures of my other trucks I would put them tonight no problems. In fact, the 320 is a V8 also (like TR300 that is to say air). The R420 V8 them are released in 1988 and 1990, then they become the inline 6. Indeed, the Centaur was the first truck to have a standpipe cabin shortly after volvo has followed the Glob. For fuel consumption I was about 38 liters per hundred kilometers which is not exessif (loaded) for a truck like that one.
Just found this:
The exterior shots appear to show the “launch” Le Centaure but, when the camera goes inside the cab, it shows a much later vehicle, with some signs of wear. The view out of the cab appears to show the same scene as the footage from outside the vehicle. What is going on there? I’m confused.
PS. The thread has gone “panoramic” again. Would someone with divine sanction squeeze it back inside the screen, please?
that the video is a replica made by the Berliet Foundation on the basis of R390 more rescent (note the air suspension at the rear …) but they try to pretend to be a real shame it is from them . In France this replica has done much controversy because we see immediately that this is not true.
julien:
that the video is a replica made by the Berliet Foundation on the basis of R390 more rescent (note the air suspension at the rear …) but they try to pretend to be a real shame it is from them . In France this replica has done much controversy because we see immediately that this is not true.
Ah, that explains it! Merci beaucoup.
Yes, it is a shame that they have created a “mongrel”, but the restoration work on the exterior of the vehicle is superb. It looks just like a brand-new show exhibit. Are there any “proper” 1978-edition Le Centaures left, with the original kitchen etc. interior? I would like to see one of those restored to the same standard.
[zb]
anorak:julien:
that the video is a replica made by the Berliet Foundation on the basis of R390 more rescent (note the air suspension at the rear …) but they try to pretend to be a real shame it is from them . In France this replica has done much controversy because we see immediately that this is not true.Ah, that explains it! Merci beaucoup.
Yes, it is a shame that they have created a “mongrel”, but the restoration work on the exterior of the vehicle is superb. It looks just like a brand-new show exhibit. Are there any “proper” 1978-edition Le Centaures left, with the original kitchen etc. interior? I would like to see one of those restored to the same standard.
unfortunately no there is none yet exists, the mine is the last of the Centaur …
julien:
[zb]
anorak:julien:
that the video is a replica made by the Berliet Foundation on the basis of R390 more rescent (note the air suspension at the rear …) but they try to pretend to be a real shame it is from them . In France this replica has done much controversy because we see immediately that this is not true.Ah, that explains it! Merci beaucoup.
Yes, it is a shame that they have created a “mongrel”, but the restoration work on the exterior of the vehicle is superb. It looks just like a brand-new show exhibit. Are there any “proper” 1978-edition Le Centaures left, with the original kitchen etc. interior? I would like to see one of those restored to the same standard.
unfortunately no there is none yet exists, the mine is the last of the Centaur …
Had an offline chat with Julien last night. It appears that his unit really is the single known surviving genuine Centaure still in existence.
Of course his was a barn find and so there might be a small number of others still lying about, but really quite unlikely now.
This means that there are currently NO true BERLIET TR(H) Centaures left, only his one, but technically this is a very first-generation Renault R-series (of course nothing less interesting), not a Berliet.
I asked Julien if he thought there might be some left in Africa where many of these Renaults found a second home, he provided an interesting answer: the high roof was not in high regard in Africa since it affected the trucks’ clearance from the trees! So most of them had their cabs chopped off and normal ones put on instead.
And whilst I’m at it, he also answered another question of mine which I had been struggling with for some time. Note that Julien is an amazing Centaure expert, I would love to see him having a discussion with Monsieur SAVIEM on here 
.
My question was whether any of SAVIEM’s PX40 had ever been graced with the CENTAURE conversion (the PX40 being SAVIEM’s exact twin brother of Berliet’s TR(H)350, just badged SAVIEM). Julien’s answer: to his knowledge there has been exactly ONE. Sadly not known to have been preserved…
Bye for now
David
If Fondation Berliet was going to create a replica Le Centaure, why did it not do it on a TR350 chassis, and then have the interior reconstructed just like the original? I guess the answer may be cost. However, that does not rule it out as a future project for someone- there are a few TR350s about the place, and plenty of late high-roof Renaults to donate a cab shell. The original interior was more-or-less hand-built by Lamberet, so that would not be beyond the resources of a restorer. Julien, are you reading this? 
Trying to insert a Youtube video, this might become a massive FAIL
It WAS a nice fail.
Oh well, forget this tech stuff.
Here is the link: youtu.be/HMHXd4xfKpg
A nice collection of commercial pictures including some featuring (probably still Mademoiselle back then) Monique, and a flurry of nice TR350s (both 352ch and 356ch).
NB: I am not the owner of this video, credit to whomever put it on youtube in the first place.
Indeed, the idea of ​​transforming a 350 centaur me has already worked! but I think it would be easier to do on a R370 of 1984, there would be the inside of the cabin transform because Externally set apart the exhaust and spoiler are identical, then it will graft windows above raiser and we have a 350 Centaure .
Davidoff:
It WAS a nice fail.
Oh well, forget this tech stuff.Here is the link: A nice collection of commercial pictures including some featuring (probably still Mademoiselle back then) Monique, and a flurry of nice TR350s (both 352ch and 356ch).
NB: I am not the owner of this video, credit to whomever put it on youtube in the first place.
Fixed. I think.
Edit- fixed now. Hopefully.
julien:
Indeed, the idea of ​​transforming a 350 centaur me has already worked! but I think it would be easier to do on a R370 of 1984, there would be the inside of the cabin transform because Externally set apart the exhaust and spoiler are identical, then it will graft windows above raiser and we have a 350 Centaure .
The original Le Centaure had the earlier interior, the same as TR300/320/260 etc, according to this photo:
If I am not wrong, the R370 had the beige/orange interior with the “squarer” dash?
does not have the R360 Centaur as mine, 370 have blue interior with the raiser cabin IVR. But what I mean is that it would be easy to get everything inside a TR in R to near Centaur reality
julien:
does not have the R360 Centaur as mine, 370 have blue interior with the raiser cabin IVR. But what I mean is that it would be easy to get everything inside a TR in R to near Centaur reality
Je comprends. 
Maintenent, on a separate matter: is the floorpan of a TR305/TR350 different to that on the TR260/280/300/320? The pictures I can find on the internet show that the later cabs had a plastic moulding in the middle footwell, whereas the original KB2400 had just a small raised section in front of the middle seat. I thought that Berliet might have raised the height of the tunnel in that area, to accommodate intercooler hoses, or something. I have asked this question before, but without answer. A man who owns both a TR320 and an R360 would be just the man to ask, peut-être? 
good question! in fact there has been two floors. The first 260, 300, 320 had a smaller effect flooring, Berliet then embellished it has because the radiator and turbo which took up more space in the cabin. 280, 305, 350, 310, 360 etc that had floors above.
julien:
good question! in fact there has been two floors. The first 260, 300, 320 had a smaller effect flooring, Berliet then embellished it has because the radiator and turbo which took up more space in the cabin. 280, 305, 350, 310, 360 etc that had floors above.
Merci beaucoup, mon ami. Je pensais que j’avais vrai. Donc, le premier TR avait plus d’espace pour le passager du milieu.
Berliet GDM10 with a GLC in background last May in La Rochepot.
Removed as was too large and breaking the forum, another smaller copy has been posted below