Berliet GLA

The Berliet GLA was a light cab-forward truck built by Berliet at Venissieux, previewed at the Paris motor show in October 1949, sold from the summer of 1950 and kept in the catalogue until 1960. Paul Berliet, freed in 1948 after the war, had it designed in under two years to keep the workers busy, and it was rated at 7.75 tonnes gross weight, raised to 9.3 tonnes in 1956. Its wooden framed, steel clad cab copied that of the 1938 VDCK, with rear hinged doors, and its new four cylinder MDJ diesel engine of 4.9 litres was fitted to a front axle and rear axle taken from the older VDC. A top speed of 70 to 75 km/h earned it the advertising name of the fast truck. Customers were mostly craftsmen and small traders, plus municipal fire, road and sanitary services, and nearly 12,000 were built in ten years. In 1951 the GLB variant added artillery wheels, a 9.8 tonne rating and air brakes, and a four wheel drive fire service version followed in 1953.