Saviem's fan club (Part 2)

A classic Berliet TR 250 operated by a fun-fair owner.

A Bernard Levrier V8

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The Lévrier was fitted with a 200 bhp 12 litres air-cooled V8 produced by Alsthom. A total disaster, because this engine was designed for stationary engines such as generators, and thus for running at constant speed.

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Interesting facts froggy55. Thanks.

It’ll be getting just nice and warm in Valencia now.

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I like the look of that, but, I am very keen on Greyhounds. Sleek, is the term I think. :grinning:

Unics with classic French Savoyard style tilts

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Kromhout 6x4 chassis. The badges on its engine looks like Gardner’s (often fitted by Kromhout), but the injection pump layout seems unusual, and doesn’t fit with a 6 LX or 6 LX. Any suggestion?

No ideas with the engine, but a question: Is that a crane chassis?
(Or just some strong jacking points for wheel changes? :grinning:)

I didn’t notice these details, but certainly yes. Reinforced chassis for a turntable and jack supports.

Not long after this thread started Saviem posted that when when he was driving his little Foden with a 4 pot Gardner in France he got stuck behind a wine tanker for mile after mile, he’d not enough power to overtake, but it kept balking him on the steep hills, he said the sign writing on the back of the tank had haunted him for years.
I’d got sent a photo that matched the description John had given, so I posted it up.
He sent me a PM within the hour saying that never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d see the back of that bloody tanker again.
He printed it off and had it in hanging in his office, a reminder of the good old days

Small world eh ?

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There are some cracking good wines made around Orange, but the best ones don’t see the inside of a tanker, of course. I always enjoyed work around that area.

So did I. It was far enough from Marseille to be safe :joy:. I used to use a really good routier south of Avignon at Orgon.

The Routier with the parking you could see from the autoroute? And the bright red lips on the roof?
Good resto.
The church above it has a lot of history attached. There were Cathares there and when the more Pope’s men arrived they either jumped to avoid being forced to recant or were pushed or such. I can’t honestly remember now.

I really liked the Soleil Lavant at Courthezon too.

Yes, Relais des Fumades on the A7 - as you say, visible from the road. Don’t remember red lips though! Mind you it was 20 years ago. I’ve just found a pic I took one hot evening through the windscreen of my lorry while I was doing my tacho before dinner. That’s when I had my own wagon. Quite a big place. Very good food and excellent value.

Ro

Maybe the big red smile was part of a dream?

Hi there,

I think this is the one you mean - Relais des Fumades on the A7.

Here is the web site to it: https://www.relaisdesfumades.fr/.

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Thanks but that isn’t the one I was thinking of. Here is the one I meant.

The BelleVue.
Still no big red lips though…

Edit… and found an older picture

The mouth is part of the sign, not on the roof.

It’s the same place, I believe. I’ve just consulted my French Bible: Guide des Relais Routiers 2002. Against the entry for Brasserie Bellevue, A7 Orgon, I scribbled ‘Relais des Fumades - excellent’ in 2004. The roof and background look more or less the same from the pics above. I reckon it just changed its name, probably in 2003 and you remember it as it was before I last visited.

Here is Dentressangle’s first truck, a Berliet TLM 10 M. It belonged to Georges, who was Norbert’s father, and the boy could thus be Norbert himself.

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