No less than six different gearboxes were available, according to a customer's wishes, not only from the company itself, but also from ZF and from Fuller.
Berliet was taken over by Renault for a particular reason. In 1967, the Lyonnais manufacturer had been taken over by Citroën. The car manufacturer thought this would enable it to expand its commercial vehicle activities significantly. Berliet's more compact models were also sold under the Citroën brand name. However, Citroën did not manage to survive on its own, so with the support of the French government, the right takeover candidate was found in Peugeot in 1974. Renault was unaware of this, which was particularly odd, since Peugeot and Renault had been preparing a complete merger for some years and plans were quite advanced. Renault's love affair with Peugeot was over immediately and, although Renault could no longer aspire to be France's largest passenger car manufacturer, it did want to become the country’s largest industrial group. And that included acquisitions. Renault was also disappointed by the fact that the French government, in particular, partly financed the takeover of Citroën by Peugeot, despite the fact that Renault was state-owned at that time.
To cut a long story short, Peugeot was not directly interested in trucks and so the government helped Renault to absorb Berliet. From 1975, Renault operated two complete truck production lines under the brand names of SAVIEM and of Berliet. This could not last for ever and it was decided to merge both programmes in a few years time. In this way, RVI (Renault Véhicules Industriels) came into existence and, on 01 January 1980, the two existing brand names officially disappeared to make way for simply – RENAULT.
At the top of the Renault truck range, one finds the GR/TR series (ex-Berliet), which was succeeded at the end of 1980 by the profoundly refreshed Renault R-series.
In the autumn of 1970, Berliet had launched the new TR300 with the brand new KB2400 cab. It was a very modern, tilting cab (basculante - hence the letter B) with a width of 2400mms (hence the number). The first version also had a new V8 diesel engine with four valves per cylinder. The programme was quickly expanded and so Renault took over a whole series in 1975, when a first visible face-lift had already taken place. Whereas, in the first years, the headlights in the front were placed next to the grille, thereafter they were shifted to the bumper.
The model name, which more or less indicated the engine power, was preceded by two or three letters. GR stands for a panel truck, a TR is a tractor and, if these combinations are followed by the letter H (such as GRH/TRH), then we are dealing with a 6x4 chassis. In total, the range included twelve different chassis options and the cab could be ordered in a short length (day) version or as a ‘sleeper’ cab. Three engines were available in the Berliet and in the later Renault. The GR280 and TR280 have the twelve-litre, six-cylinder MDS 06.35.40 turbo engine, which produced 266bhp. However, in the GR/GRH305 and TR/TRH305, the same power source is equipped with an intercooler, which increases the power to 300bhp, which was a respectable figure in the mid-‘Seventies. The flagship of the range was the GR/GRH350 and TR/TRH350, fitted with the mighty 14.9-litre, V8 engine, which produced 356 bhp. No less than six different gearboxes were available, according to a customer's wishes, not only from the company itself, but also from ZF and from Fuller.
The choice of chassis was even larger. Only the tractors have one fixed wheelbase, the panel chassis having a choice of five different lengths - for the single rear axle versions - and three options for the H-type tractors.
For a short time, prior to the merger of SAVIEM and Berliet, this series was marketed under both brand names, with the only difference being, in fact, the name. The SAVIEM version was called the PX series and bears large letters plus the Renault logo on the grille to the right, while the Berliet name stands right on the cabin above the grille, the same spot where the Renault name sat from January 1980. In SAVIEM terms, the Berliet GR/TR280 was called the PX28, while the intercooler version (GR/TR305) was the PX30, and the big V8 circulated under the name PX40. The naming corresponds to the latest version of the SAVIEM SM series, which went through life as the PS30.
In the spacious cabin, almost nothing has changed. In the Berliets, the maker’s logo was placed in the middle of the steering wheel and, ofcourse, that disappeared the moment the transport company customer chose either a SAVIEM or a Renault. The KB2400 cab remained available, unchanged, for about ten years. Here and there minor adjustments were made, but the design appears to be so ahead of its time, that major changes were not necessary.
Nowadays the interior looks very dated, but throughout the ‘Seventies, the Berliet was greatly appreciated. And yet it was precisely this area, which Renault tackled in the course of 1980. The new R-series was given the KB2400 cab, which was completely new in terms of design. With a highly modernised dashboard, new colour schemes, different furniture and, ofcourse, now with a Renault logo on the steering wheel, it ensured that the model would be able to withstand the competition well into the ‘Nineties.