Willème
Willème was a French truck manufacturer.

History

Willème was founded in 1923 as Est. Willeme S.A. in Nanterre, France by Louis Willeme, after working for Automobiles Grégoire.

In the May 1962 A.C.E and Willeme signed an agreement in which A.C.E (Associated Equipment Company) will provide engine and components to Willeme for its special purpose and heavy-duty truck range the first order was started of with 500 units of A.C.E diesel engines. This agreement also authorized Willeme to assemble and distribute A.C.E medium duty trucks. By the end of 1962 Willeme was assembling B.M.C (British Motor Corporation) trucks ranging from 1.5 to 7 tons capacity and also assembling A.C.E cargo and passenger vehicles in France alongside their own heavy-duty trucks.
 
In 1970 Willeme started to have difficulties with A.E.C and stopped manufacturing their trucks and switched to Volvo for sourcing the engines and components at the Paris commercial vehicle show Willeme showcased their first 6X4 tipper chassis which was powered by Volvo's 270 hp engine supported by a fuller 13 speed gearbox. Willème went bankrupt in 1970 PRP (Perez et Raimond Paris) took over the company and continued to manufacture heavy-duty trucks like TG 100, 200, 250 and 300 offered with Cummins, GM, Caterpillar and Mercedes-Benz engines capable of high payloads.

TG300 was the most powerful truck offered by the company, promoted as a 1000 toner ballast tractor capable of towing 1000 tons 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 trailer. In 1979 MOL Trucks acquired the design rights of the TG range from PRP and continued to manufacture heavy-duty ballast tractors mostly in 8x8 configurations and Cummins engine with towing capacity of 300 to 500 tons for oversize load transport applications. In 1980 Creusot-Loire used TG range of trucks to develop their T40A military tank transporter in 8x6 configuration powered by a Detroit Diesel engine supported by a 13 speed Allison transmission.

Products

Willème specialized in heavy haulage ballast tractors and large lorries.

Early models
The DW12A was used as a tank transporter by the French army.

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 ballast tractor

References

Truck manufacturers of France
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France