EBIAM (standing for Elliniki Biomichania Agrotikon Michanimaton,
English translation: Greek Agricultural Machinery Industry) was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
company based in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
that, among others, produced 4x4 trucks. It belonged to a generation that benefited from a Greek law (modified in the mid-1980s) classifying any vehicle that could be used for agricultural purposes (including "proper" trucks and jeeps) as "agricultural machinery".
Apart from tractors, there were different categories of vehicles that were developed and produced in Greece, classified according to the aforementioned law. The most common type was a "half tractor-half truck" contraption, usually with three-wheel chassis, that has been very characteristic of the country being a very common sight in the Greek countryside, especially in the 1970s. Companies that produced this type of vehicle include ''
Candia'' (by far the largest), ''Kronos'', ''Minos'', ''Minotauros'' and others in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, ''Demetra'' in
Volos
Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
, and several others. Another type was a family of lighter (500 kg – 1 tn payload) 4-wheel "jeep-type" trucks that were also supposed to be used as tractors. This type was produced by companies including ''Demetra'' in
Volos
Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
, ''
Diana'' in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(not to be confused with ''
AutoDiana'' of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
), ''
Record'' in
Herakleion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, and others. Finally, another category included more advanced designs of heavier trucks, often with 4x4 chassis. This type was produced by a number of companies including (except for ''EBIAM''), ''Agroamax'' in
Arta, ''
Agrocar'' in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, and others.
EBIAM produced between 1979 and 1984 two truck models on the same, robust 4x4 chassis it developed. Both models used a
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
2300 cc engine; payload was .
References
*L.S. Skartsis and G.A. Avramidis, "Made in Greece", Typorama, Patras, Greece (2003) (republished by the University of Patras Science Park, 2007).
L.S. Skartsis, "Greek Vehicle & Machine Manufacturers 1800 to present: A Pictorial History", Marathon (2012) (eBook)
External links
Dutch vehicle manufacturers catalog
{{Automotive industry in Greece
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Greece
Truck manufacturers of Greece
Manufacturing companies based in Thessaloniki