Stacking furniture

It’s a fact that the name of Teilhol sounds familiar to many Renault enthusiasts. Raoul Teilhol, who ran his coachbuilding company in Courpiere since 1958 and was responsible for the Renault 4 based Rodeo models for many years. And many more commercial bodies, too. Soon after the launch of the SAVIEM SG-series, Teilhol came up with a special structure intended for the transport of furniture. Generally this kind of voluminous transport does not weigh too much. The maximum allowed loading weight of 800kgs is mostly satisfactory.

We found this lovely example at the restoration company Atelier Vintage in Saints Geosmes, France. The car left Teilhol’s workshops in 1968 as a SAVIEM SG2 equipped with a 2.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The first owner was a furniture shop named Maison Bleue of Chaumont, the capital of the Haute Marne department. This original owner had the SAVIEM painted in a gunmetal grey, which can still be seen at some spots. The Chaumont based business mainly used the vehicle to drive to and from furniture manufacturers, clocking up quite a few miles in its early years. And after eight years it was deemed too old. Furniture maker Daniel Durlet from Corlée (near Langres) then took over the SAVIEM, keeping it for the next 43 years. That also has to be the explanation why this Teilhol bodied SAVIEM survived.

Although Daniel Durlet transferred his faithful SAVIEM not so long ago to Mathilde Maréchal, a young lady who is gaining work experience at the aforementioned restoration company, he is happy to explain the history of his van. “The SG2 with this structure is specifically made for the transport of furniture. Considerable thought has been given to sufficient options for lashing the furniture inside. There is also extra space provided above the cabin, which is an excellent extra storage compartment. We sometimes made trips with the car and used it to spend the night. The walls are totally flat for optimal usable load space. The roof is translucent, which is very practical when loading and unloading during the day.”

Photo: With the renewal of the underside of the coachwork the Teilhol type plate disappeared.

“In 2003 I stopped working as a furniture maker. I mainly made classic wooden furniture and used the SAVIEM to deliver it to my customers. I mostly worked locally, so the car did not make many more miles during its long life with me. The occasional visits to Paris were more of an exception. After having retired, I have made a few kitchens, taking the time for it and doing it in a month and a half or so, so the SG2 came out about six to eight times a year. The average fuel consumption used to be 12 litres per 100km at most. But then this was fully loaded and driving the speed that technology allowed. With no mountains and not too much load, that was about 100- to 110km/h on the clock.”

Photo: Daniel Durlet was 43 years the owner of this SAVIEM.

Upon further inspection of the SAVIEM the kind of construction used by Teilhol becomes clear. Despite the fact that the grille and headlights of the SG2 have been retained, the car’s cabin is completely different from standard. As a matter of fact, it is entirely made of plastic. This while the structure of the loading space is largely made of sheet steel, with the roof partly made of light transmitting plastic. The cross beams under the loading floor have been left open at the tops. Teilhol placed wooden beams onto them, with floor plates mounted on top. Originally a Teilhol nameplate should be found on the left side of the loading platform. But since Daniel Durlet had several parts replaced when he purchased the vehicle in 1976, it has disappeared. But with the original SAVIEM brochure with all the approved coachbuilders’ bodies at hand, there is no doubt about this car’s origins. Teilhol used the SG2 with long wheelbase as its base vehicle. That gave a substantial load capacity, especially since this particular car used the tallest roof height (three options available). With that, the SAVIEM offers a volume of 20 cubic meters approximately.

Daniel Durlet had the SAVIEM sprayed blue shortly after purchasing it and had his name and address painted on the car’s sides. “I was sometimes stopped by the police who asked me what my name was. I then answered that they could read it out in large script on my car. This was mostly not appreciated.” But during his full working life, Daniel remained faithful to the SAVIEM SG models: “I’ve had several. The first was a standard Fourgon with a factory body. In those years everyone drove them, the postal service, administrative services, ambulances. I bought a second one some time later. Then I found this one, which fitted in much better with my business activities. I also had a SG4, a diesel with an open body and double rear wheels. I have always experienced that the chassis was extremely robust, giving the SAVIEM a big advantage over the competition with their self-supporting bodies.

The mechanical condition of the SG2 Teilhol is still excellent, but Daniel’s children had no interest in keeping the car in the family. In winters, it was always dry stored, but to make it perfect now, it will demand the necessary action. Ten years ago Daniel came across a number of parts that were given with the car to the then-new owner. When Daniel bought the SAVIEM, he’d only just started his furniture making business. Before that he went to school in Liège, went to seminary, worked as a cheese maker and sold agricultural machinery. He remembers that he paid 5,000 francs for the SG2 to its original owner, who then told him he’d paid about 10,000 francs when he bought it. And that comes pretty close to the 11,500 Francs mentioned on the price list in the SAVIEM brochure.

En détail...

SAVIEM SG2L Fourgon transport de meubles

Specifications

Engine:
Type 671-16, 4 cylinder petrol, bore x stroke 88 x 88 mm, displacement 2,141 cc. Power 51.5 kW/70 hp at 3,600 r/min, torque 157 Nm at 2,000 r/min, compression ratio 7:1.
Gearbox/suspension:
Type 321, four forward and one reverse speeds, fully synchronized, gear ratios: 1st - 5.586, 2nd - 2.590, 3rd - 1.417, 4th - 1.00, reverse - 5.076, final drive 4.77. Tyres 19x400. Chassis with longitudinal and transverse supports, independent front suspension, rigid rear axle, coil springs and heavy hydraulic shock absorbers all around.
Dimensions/weights:
Length 6,438 mm, width 2,120 mm, height 3,080 mm, wheelbase 3,410 mm. Ground clearance 0.780 mm. Turning circle 12.20 metres (sidewalks). Weight empty: 2.260 kg. Payload capacity 1.240 kg. Tank capacity 70 litres. Loading space approx. 20 cubic metres. Performance: top speed 95 km/h.