Willème was a French

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

manufacturer, specializing in heavy- and special-duty trucks.

History

Willème was founded in 1923 as Ets. Willème S.A. in

Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...

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by Louis Willème, after working for Automobiles Grégoire. The company built its first

tractor truck A tractor unit, also known as a truck unit, lorry unit, power unit, prime mover, ten-wheeler, semi-tractor, semi-truck, semi-lorry, tractor cab, truck cab, lorry cab, big rig tractor, big rig truck or big rig lorry or simply a tractor, truck, ...

in 1930; this had a GCWR. In May 1962 A.E.C and Willème signed an agreement in which A.E.C (Associated Equipment Company) will provide engine and components to Willème for its special purpose and heavy-duty truck range the first order was started off with 500 units of A.E.C diesel engines. This agreement also authorized Willème to assemble and distribute A.E.C. medium duty trucks. By the end of 1962 Willème was assembling B.M.C (British Motor Corporation) trucks ranging from 1.5 to 7 tons capacity and also assembling A.E.C cargo and passenger vehicles in France alongside their own heavy-duty trucks. In 1970 Willème started to have difficulties with A.E.C and stopped manufacturing their trucks and attempted a switch to

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

for sourcing the engines and components. At the 1970 Paris commercial vehicle show Willème showcased their first 6×4 tipper chassis, powered by Volvo's engine supported by a Fuller 13-speed gearbox. Willème went bankrupt in 1970 and PRP (Perez et Raimond Paris) took over the company. PRP continued to manufacture heavy-duty trucks like the TG 100, 200, 250, and 300, offering them with

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...

, GM,

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and

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engines capable of high payloads. TG300 was the most powerful truck offered by the company, a

ballast tractor A ballast tractor is a specially weighted tractor unit of a heavy hauler combination. It is designed to utilize a drawbar to pull or push heavy or exceptionally large trailer loads which are loaded in a hydraulic modular trailer. When feasi ...

promoted as being capable of towing 1000 tonnes with a suitable hydraulic modular trailer. Trobosa, a Spain-based trailer manufacture also developed some TG300 models as it was a leading manufacturer of tank transporter and hydraulic modular trailers. In 1979, Belgium's MOL acquired the design rights of the TG range from PRP and continued to manufacture heavy-duty ballast tractors mostly in 8x8 configurations with Cummins engines, with towing capacity of 300 to 500 tons for oversize load transport applications. In 1980 Creusot-Loire used the TG range of trucks as the basis in developing their T40A military tank transporter, an 8x6 configuration powered by a Detroit Diesel engine supported by a 13-speed

Allison transmission Allison Transmission Holdings Inc. is an American manufacturer of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors, includi ...

Products

In the post-war years, Willème specialized in large lorries and tractors, and special duty trucks such as heavy haulage ballast tractors. Lenoir 1964, p. 101.

Early models

The DW12A was used as a tank transporter by the

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Post-war trucks: S10, L10, and R15

10- and 15-ton trucks, with Deutz engines, sold between 1945 and 1953.

610 and 615 series

Sold 1953–1963.

TL and LD series

Available with both AEC and Willème engines. *The AEC-engined 5741-CG was sold as an 8-wheel heavy wrecker. *Some models, such as the W8SA, were also built as oilfield trucks. *RD 6x4

Willème-PRP

*W200, 8x4, 245 tonne gross weight. *The TG200 was an 8x4 heavy-hauler, capable of handling 200 ton loads. *TG250: 250 tonnes gross weight *The TG300 was 8x8 capable of hauling up to 1000 tonnes, powered by a Detroit Diesel V16. Some were built by Trabosa.

External links

Video
of a restored Willeme TG200

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willeme Truck manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Heavy haulage French companies established in 1923