Berliet

The French company Berliet was situated in Vénissieux, a town west of Lyon, and produced a variety of vehicles, including military vehicles, buses, lorries, and automobiles. It was established in 1899, and with the exception of the five years from 1944 to 1949 when it was placed under "administration sequestre," it remained privately owned until 1967, when it joined Citroen. Renault later acquired it in 1974, and in 1978 it merged with Saviem to form the new Renault Trucks company. By 1980, the Berliet brand had all but disappeared.

In 1894, Marius Berliet began experimenting with vehicles. A twin-cylinder car type was introduced in 1900, replacing several single-cylinder vehicles. The Lyon facility of Audibert & Lavirotte was acquired by Berliet in 1902. Berliet began producing four-cylinder cars with honeycomb radiators and steel chassis frames in place of wood. The next year, a model that resembled modern Mercedes was introduced. Berliet sold the American Locomotive Company the rights to manufacture his locomotive in 1906.

From 8 CV to 60 CV, Berliet provided a variety of types prior to World War I. There was a six-cylinder variant with a capacity of 9500 cc in addition to the main models' four-cylinder engines (2412 cc and 4398 cc, respectively).


The historical record of Berliet
https://www.fondationberliet.org