Paul Berliet

The French car, truck and bus brand Berliet is not widely known in our country. Only the true connoisseur knows about the existence of this French brand. The company originated from 1966-born Marius Berliet, a farmer's son who was destined to take over the business from his parents.

The technology had its day and so he realized his first combustion engine in 1893. In 1894 the first Berliet passenger car was on the street. The last passenger car rolled off the tire in 1939. Maurice Berliet was a man with vision. His company already produced the first truck in 1906. In 1949, son Paul, born on October 5 and 1918 in Lyon, succeeds his father in the position of Chief Executive Officer ('PDG') of the company. He would continue the family tradition and eventually lead the Berliet family business, more or less forced by circumstances and politics, into the state-owned Renault, but not after selling it in 1967 to Michelin, owner of Citroën. Paul Berliet expanded the company into a major player in the truck market. Founded factories in Algeria and Morocco, among others, but also supplied technology to China and Cuba. At Renault, Berliet was merged with Saviem to eventually live as Renault. Driven by the memory of his father, he founded the Fondation de l'Automobile Marius Berliet in 1982, a center for the preservation of French heritage in the truck and bus field. He remained chairman of it until 2008 before handing it over to his cousin Philippe Brosette. This consortium now has a collection consisting of more than 300 vehicles, 200 of which are in new condition, and an archive containing some 300.000 'documents'. On August 7, 2012, he passed away in Lyon at the age of 93.