Berliet GDR

The Berliet GDR was a wide range of medium tonnage bonneted trucks built by the French maker Berliet at Venissieux, the first of which was presented in 1936 and the last of which, the GDR.7, stayed in production until 1952. GDR named the rigid truck and TDR the semi-trailer tractor. The first model, the GDR.22, was approved by the Mines service on 8 January 1936 and shown at the Paris motor show that year as a versatile five tonne truck with a four cylinder petrol engine of 5.9 litres and 75 horsepower, a four speed gearbox and a top speed of about 58 km/h. Over its long career it was sold with 28 engine variants, among them 12 diesel, 8 wood gas and 7 petrol versions. The GDR.7 of 1946 and the GDR.7W of 1948 raised the payload to seven tonnes and added Westinghouse compressed air brakes, a diesel military version was withdrawn from service from 1952, and in 1948 the range alone made up 36 percent of Berliet turnover before the GLR succeeded it.