watching top gear tonight , i’m pretty sure there was one of those long nosed berliet lorries still working in thailand . i just spotted it in a passing shot . i shall have to go on iplayer and check up .
Evening all, oh how I hated doing" lines", …sackcloth and ashes upon me…but I have always had difficulty recognising those 8s from 10s!, but the GPRK was a very spectacular lorry…nearly, but not quite as good as a Willeme, or Bernard!
A good number of the GPRK chassis were bodied as integral refrigerated box vans @26oookgs, and were great performers. Back in, (perhaps ), 64, (or maybe 63 late), I had arrived at Kabi Pharmasuiticals, in Limoges, with my little S20 Foden box van, and was waiting to “tip” my bit of Shropshire produced “high tech” laboratory equipment. When across my nose drove a stunning integral fridge, on a Somua chassis, in the spectacular red,and white livery of “meat” haulier l`Auto Express Moderne, from La Souterraine,Creuse.
Later I ventured to speak with the driver of this late 1950s rigid, (but in appearance, far more modern, than anything I had seen in the UK), an amiable grey haired late middle aged Frenchman, who explained that he was simply loading medical drugs for his regular run to Malmo in Sweden!!! ,…Was I impressed…yes
.
This was a “real” outfit of high reputation, known since the 30s as the “Gentlemen of the RN20” whose vehicles were instantly recognisable, and whose drivers were highly regarded for their skills. Their principal, Rene Bastier, son of a farmer, but real professional “transport man”, had recognised a niche market in supplying fresh meat from the Limousin to Paris, and Northern France back in the 30s.
He was an innovator, designed his own vehicles, (with cooling for the precious loads provided by fans driven by single cylinder Zundapp, (later Peugeot) engines. Later at Bastiers insistence he involved Neve, who created "proper refrigeration plants for his vehicles. But by the late 50s most of “his” AEM frigos carried Thermo King RT10, and RT30 equipment. This mounted within bodywork of his favoured supplier, Carroserie du centre Chateauroux.
The most spectacular of their creations for AEM being the “Paquebot”, on a Somua 6x4 chassis, and pneumatically operated “sand boxes” in front of the drive axle. The 150 hp engine was coupled to a 10 speed gearbox, and bodied, with Neve refrigeration, by Centre Chateauroux. The avant garde profile of this 1950s vehicle is almost indistinguishable from the Scania R serie Topline!
Bastier was always “pushing the limits”, of design, and efficiency…with a real regard for the safety of his employees…(who were expected to work hard, but with real reward for their expertise. Truly the “Gentlemen of the RN20”
they neither loaded, nor unloaded their vehicle…they drove…and hard!
1962, Bastier, his engineer, Roger Chambraud, (with him from the 30s), met with Charles Bernard, one of Eduard Bernards adopted sons, and designed a vehicle that would captivate the Nations road hauliers at the 1962 Paris Salon…The Bernard 8x4 26DA8 P180. A fully air suspended 4 axle double drive (proposed) 32 tonne Gardner powered, Dunlop air suspended, (4 axles), Telma equipped refrigerated box van, with Charbonneaux`s famed “Television” cab. Years ahead in design…yet the Ministry of Mines failed to see the potential…and it was 93 before 4 axle rigids became legal in France.
1963 Renee Bastier passed away, and for two years his widow strove to keep AEM going, but in 1965, Guy Picoty, (Picoty Groupe, closely tied to fuel refiner, and retailer Avia), acquired AEM, and with Nicole Chicaud, (Renee Bastiers daughter), and entrepreneur Robert Deluchat, combined Auto Express Moderne, with Transports Bernis, of Limoges.
The AEM fleet, at the time of acquisition Bernard in the majority, acquired Mack/Bernards, then “pure” Macks, F785/6s, then Unics, and with Bernis influence Saviems, JM 240s. And that is where I came to learn about AEM, for part of Bernis was “our” Limoges Saviem Dealership, for lorries, coaches, and buses! And they became one of my “fleet” customers!
Bernis in the 70s ran over 300 Saviems, 240,260, 280, 300, and 340s. All with our “European” cab. Odly they only had one drawbar, a 300 V8, which I was instrumental in replacing with one of the rare Saviem PX30, drawbars, (in effect a Berliet 356 V8 with a Saviem axle…oh the complexity of mergers!!!
I spent many hours discussing Renee Bastier, and Auto Express Moderne, with Jacques Bernis, and Marc Landrin, for they had a real “feel” for the operation that they now controlledvia the Picoty, and Vialle Families, (1967 the creation of Transports Frigorifique du Perigard).And I have to say became more and more interested in the operation.
Bernis was a powerful operator, picked up the Renault car, and tractor contracts in the 80s, then in the 90s became a Volvo operator. But to me the real “professionals” were the men of AEM, and their constant pushing at the limits of legislation for the good of the men who drove the lorries, and their business…and their wonderful Bernards, 4x2, and 6x4s, both tractors and rigids…in that clear, distinctive, and evocative red and white livery…the “Gentlemen of the RN20”, (and those of you that know that road can only imagine what it must have been like to drive on a winters night with a fridge van full of Limousin`s finest meat!!!
Im away to a large Bollinger, (or two), and remember those wonderful lorries, and the great people I can remember who worked for them!
Cheerio for now.
Saviem never ceases to amaze me with both his knowledge and his memory. I reckon he deserves every drop of that Bollinger.
However, in matters agricultural, it seems that I must once again remind him that it is time to service the harvester ready for this year’s ■■■■ harvest otherwise he will be all behind for the rest of the season and come December he will be moaning and whinging about the spuds being buried under eight inches of mud. AGAIN!!!
Retired Old ■■■■:
Saviem never ceases to amaze me with both his knowledge and his memory. I reckon he deserves every drop of that Bollinger.However, in matters agricultural, it seems that I must once again remind him that it is time to service the harvester ready for this year’s ■■■■ harvest otherwise he will be all behind for the rest of the season and come December he will be moaning and whinging about the spuds being buried under eight inches of mud. AGAIN!!!
ROF how right you are, yet again Saviem has the info poring from his memory, how wonderful it is for us to share his knowledge on here. Strikes me he definitely should have written a book on his life, would make a very interesting read.
As for the agricultural front ime sure he will be pleased with this weeks weather forecast as the old current bun is going to warm us all up and maybe dry the ground a little. Me I am having some fertilizer spread on grass as we speak Buzzer.
At Paris 1957 motorshow, a Bernard for AEM, with an electric brake from Telma.
Somua JL 19 from 1957 with an integral fridge body from Tual § Gourmelen.
Beautiful …tidy and neat lines…
Evening Gentlemen, Michel, Dave thank you for the pictures, they are great! Such wonderful lorries to behold!
Fitted our Horse, (Jacob), with a set of Hunters, he would look good in green wellies!! So wet is our land.
ROF, I do not jest…but we have even polished the paint on the Deeres, so bad has been the weather, and so sparse our activity…We have a massive backlog of work…but even the Sprayer struggles on this clay, but thank goodness not on the Shropshire sand! Grief, the amount of water still in the soil is terrific, and troubles me all the time!
Cheerio for now.
I feel a deal coming on!
Now, where did I leave that Caterpillar?
Retired Old ■■■■:
I feel a deal coming on!
Now, where did I leave that Caterpillar?
Hey R.O.F…How do you get yer bath chair up on the Cat ? Small crane and winch, or a ramp up the back end…just interested…
As you and old Charlie offered to drive the pink coach, I need to carry out a few mods to it so the the pair of you old gits can get up into it safely…Its reassuring to know that at least the “ladies of the night” should be safe, and won’t be tampered with… the theory being, you’ll both be asleep as soon as you reach the next stop…
P.S. Hope you both found your “badges” want to be legal, no dodgy licence …or permits
Block & tackle on a scaffold tube tripod, welded to the Cat. I can abseil down off the ■■■■ thing but it’s getting to the stage where I will soon need the assistance of Fifi for the upward movement. As to the badge, it seems as if one of the former Mrs ■■■■■ must have thrown it in the skip following my usual escape through the tunnel or over the wire. I’ll keep my eye open in case one of the cereal manufacturers decides to start putting such things in their boxes again. Failing that, I’m sure one of the new ministries will be able to work a flanker for me in return for either a dip into the French Agricultural Subsidy or a post dated cheque issued by the Milnthorpe Branch of the MOTEC training establishment.
And I was under the impression that there was going to be a dedicated ministerial department for the issue of dodgy permits.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Block & tackle on a scaffold tube tripod, welded to the Cat. I can abseil down off the ■■■■ thing but it’s getting to the stage where I will soon need the assistance of Fifi for the upward movement.
And I was under the impression that there was going to be a dedicated ministerial department for the issue of dodgy permits.
The Pink coach will have to be a bit more sophisticated than a bloody tri-pod and block and tackle…Jeeeeeeeeesus R.O.F…come on…we’re trying to introduce a bit of class here, them’s posh tarts, not yer common under the arches fer a sixpence jobbies.
You’ll have a hydraulic lift to get you up…once yer in and settled, you can sit back and relax……are you up to the job ?..having my doubts about you and that Charlie, think you both volunteered to get a free-bee
As for the Ministry of Permit Allocation, they’re being printed now, as we speak, Buzzer has a mate who “does” ‘em……with a florin coin hammered into ‘em to make ‘em realistic, like the ones we were all use to……Hope Evans Q.C. doesn’t read this, we’ll have to pay him off ….he might dob us in…
This weeks “Truck of the week” for are two School swats to give us the details…. is
Only kidding…that’s not really fair…too old, even for Saviem… 
Try this one…
And a treat for John…I know he likes these old girls…
Not what I had in mind…neither a Saviem or a Berliet as our boss demanded, but might do as a back up…
it’s half pink…Easy for R.O.F and Charlie to get in and out, and keep 'em away from the goods…
Evening all, …its been a long hard day…first was the hedge cutting, (the bits missed when it was too wet to get alongside them), then …dragging the “entoumbed” John Deere and hedge cutter out of the mire into which it had sunk, (not my best decision to go there)!!
Then there was the meeting with the Enviroment Agency…no it did not go well…lost my temper I did…
Then the local council…MORONS…no, that did not go well…
Social Services about Mom,…ditto…and I must have upset them…but how?..
Moved some muck…a respite…something I enjoy doing!
Bolloking from lady wife…forgot to go in for lunch…
Meeting with NFU to discuss insurances…“the magic roundabout”…
Sold some Hay, to a stable yard nearby…
Delivered it with my Scammel Scarab…sheer bliss…total relaxation at 25mph…
Telephone calls from NFU…no the insurance prices were right…no, they do not relate to a farm in Dubai!
Back home…we have managed to spray the ■■■■…but the sprayer has a (terminal sounding knock)…
Bit of paperwork…trod on my “new” spectacles…B…r, where are the old ones…awaiting repair, having being trod on some weeks ago…
Turned this electronic thing on…(what does “no dsl connection”, mean in humanoid terms?..but 10 minutes of bawling later…here I am…
Fergie, love the new transporter…“a Footon for the Luton”… springs to mind…as it may do to ROF, and Charlie…should you put them on day rate, or job and finish…(I fear the latter may be more apposite)!!! and cheaper for the National ■■■■■…
You are quite right about being a bit early for me, with the Willeme…could be a CA7, with a Deutz design 4 cylinder 80hp F4M517, but she looks more like a 1930s DU12, with the 6 cylinder Deutz, I seem to remember the DUs were 3 axle jobs.
Those big Unics really were the business, their looks were almost as beautiful, (but not quite), as a Bernard. That blue one looks, (to my misty, non spectacle equipped eyes), to be a late 50s ZU120T Galibier , although she could be an Izoard…(the vagaries of marketing…both were identical)!!
Handsome girls those Unics, and the last ones, (before Fiat), the V8 t 270, with the 10 litre M62S 270 hp was for the 60s a real brute of a lorry…and just look at that bonnet…■■■■■ on wheels…no wonder the Unic drivers were disdainful of other road users!!!
Personally, I prefer the earlier version of Charbonneaux`s design…the version of the mid 50s with the three chromed horizontal ribs across the radiator, known as “a trois moustaches”, very handsome indeed! A good number of these were sold in Suisse…
Big old crane on the back of that "Television " cab Bernard…and three men who have that look so well known of all of us, when driving Gardner designed engines…totally knackered…because we should have been where we are…three hours previously…beautiful lorry though…(and Eduard Bernards Gardner was 185hp, not 180…and only Gardner drivers will appreciate the extra …big…5 hp…and how!
I shall indulge in a large Bollinger, Gentlemen you have cheered me up…and ROF… one day I will write about the gross inadequacy of Mr Deeres tracked design in mud…they just do not work…how do I know?..8 hours to free the b…r!!!
Cheerio for now.
SERVES YOU RIGHT!!!
That’ll teach you to try doing things that your training and experience haven’t prepared you for.
Maybe you should stick to expounding on British and European goods vehicles and try taking advice in matters agricultural from others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
Due to the Bedford Fifimobile being double-manned, there will no doubt be an opportunity for the “resting” driver to conduct interviews and aptitude tests in the rear compartment? Maybe I should have used a slightly different wording there.
And I am beginning to think that there is a case for “retraining” our illustrious leader in the art of diplomacy when dealing with minor officials. Maybe a drop of the famous Bollinger would have a rather more beneficial effect than the usual harsh words when confronted by such minions.
Maybee Saviem needs a minister close at hand, one for dealing with current affairs would be good, then he could concentrate on the job’s that matter and that don’t involve brainless individuals, Buzzer.
Something like a Minister for Fending-off Minor Officials?
well saviem , i’ve just watched country file about the terrible conditions on the somerset farms . it was a real eye opener to see the support and cooperation in the farming community . i take my hat off to you chaps , if only the transport industry could be something like that . but it will never happen .
Here’s a Bernard for you all, Buzzer.
Just another Bernard, back to page one. Buzzer
