Saviem:
Evening all,by gum Gentlemen, what a cornucopia of visual delight! There I was about to comment on michels kind contribution, with its peculiar looking, but superb bodywork of Raul Teihol, from his works at Courpiere, (he created some superb exhibition, mobile shop, and incredible mobile Hospital bodies on our Saviem and Berliet chassis)…
But his mind was so fertile, and he was, from the 60s an innovator with GRP. So much so that he created a “beach car”, similar to the Citroen Mehari, but based on the Renault 4. and 6.This was the Rodeo, odd looking, but a real hoot to drive…and he also built large volume bodies on the Renault Estafette platform…and then Electric powered vehicles…and also that incredible Willeme 8 cylinder 140kph test truck for Michelin, with the cabin based around the windscreen of a DS Citroen…
Renault changed their plans…he faced ruin…then created the Citroen AX based Tangara, with its Range Rover front…the GRP was superb, and they sold quite well, but the age of the Beach Car…a la Mini Moke was over…and the lorry bodywork side could not cover the cost of three factories, and a Rue Marcel Renault , Paris, address for the Group head office…A truly interesting company, and all of his Hot Press panel forming presses were of British Manufacture!
Then pv83 throws those superb, and to me, so nostalgic Heavy Haulage pictures into the thread…
Patrick, Transports Cauvas, , started by Jean Pierre Albert Cauvas, sometime around the early 70s. Operated from premises along Rue du Pont Yblon, in Bonneil en France, just south of Gonesse. I used to get there by going along Stalingrad, then down Route de Paris, and around the dog leg.
In my day they were not such a big player as SCALES, or Stag, but they were very aggressive on their pricing, and secured a lot of jobs, many of which they subcontracted to the likes of Alibert, (did you ever see their re-cabbed Pacific)? my word they were great engineers, particularly on the crane side.
Cauvas bought wisely, and had a pair of TG150 tonne Willeme`s, as well as his big Scanias, an odd ball ERF Continental, that always looked, (and smelled), like a rebuild, rather than a proper lorry…but so many heavy haulers were re-builds…or re-engineered lorries to suit the operators needs. Cauvas also had an ex STSI Mack R serie, with the 20 speed transmission, that could pull far more than anyone could expect from such modest power.
They did a lot of Rail work, alongside Venissieux based Millom, (another outfit running some really effective equipment)…both of them liked their Faymonville trailers, …nice and low for the railway stuff! Although Jean Pierre had great service from his TBO Berliet, Scania held his heart, but he did like the German kit, MAN and Faun, but long after my time I think that he went towards DAF, but that was an emerging trend, less specialised equipment, but more “normal” stuff that could do the weight, but come back empty at highway speeds!
Like our later R Serie, as you have pictured. In the UK most importers ignored the “heavy” end of the market, because the sales potential was so low, compared to the cost of supporting the product. The only lorry that I can personally recall from your pictures is the Parry one…and that because it has on its trailer one of my imported Russian T34s, that I sold to William Gallier at Atcham, and he sold on, (with a new paint job), to one of his clients…getting that Kaiser" whistler" onto the back end was a bit of a squeeze!
William always had a few bits of kit on show at the Three Pigeons public house at Knockin, along the A5, but his main stock was with John at the Glory Hole at Atcham. That picture must be early 90s…my good lady said the best sight that she ever had of those T34s was the smokey exhausts dissappearing over the brow of the hill on the way to load on the lane…and we broke one lad from Folkeston`s King Trailer in two getting a T34 onto it!!!
I always rather rated Mr Fiats heavies, very strong, and I thought quite reliable, but perhaps Im in a minority! As well as that big MOL Cappelle also had a rather smooth, and very reliable 150 tonne Saviem 6x4, Funny, when you look at MOLs creations, just how much of the original Willeme TG features remain. Zucconni
s TBO I had a fair bit to do with, even though she was a geriatric girl, but they had a fantastic collection of big Nicolas necks, and 12, and 16 ligne modules to suit. Dessirer H Zucconni, STAG, Mayer, and SCALES, (Ex Robert Leyx) had very similar equipment, and working together inside GIE on behalf of EDF, Frances National Power Company there was a fair bit of equipment interchange between them, as well as combinations having lead, and pusher tractors from seperate company`s. But of them all, for sheer earth shattering calcophony, the Detroit V12s of Mayer, (later MKTS), took some beating, particularly with a 13 speed Fuller to conduct the music!..Dear old ■■■■■■■ could do the business…but the sound effects were so subdued…and that is why Zucconni specified ■■■■■■■ for its TG Willeme PRPs, rather than those raucous boys from Nancy!Apologies if Ive gone on a bit…taken me right back those images…Thank you
Cheerio for now.
Well…there’s nowt wrong with that memory of yours Mr. Saviem , always a pleasure to read the fond memories one still haves of days long gone…
