MISSION OF THE FOUNDATION

The foundation was created in January 1982 by the descendants of the Lyon manufacturer Marius BERLIET and Renault Véhicules Industriels and was recognised as being in the public interest at the time of its creation.

It had two objectives at the outset:

• safeguarding and optimising the history of the automobile in the greater Lyon area;
• the safeguarding and optimising of the history of the truck, coach and bus for all French makes.

Its head office is in the home of Marius BERLIET, decorated by Louis MAJORELLE and Jacques GRUBER from the Ecole de Nancy. In Lyon, it is one of the rare examples of art nouveau. It is a protected site, under the Historic Monuments legislation of 1989, and its original décor has remained remarkably intact.

A REGIONAL VOCATION

As a veritable breeding ground for manufacturers with some 200 car and truck makes, the Rhône-Alpes region, along with the Paris area, was instrumental in the beginnings of the global automobile industry.

The Ecole Lyonnaise automobile was already on people’s lips before 1914. The region’s manufacturers were respected throughout the world for their powerful, sturdy equipment designed for the mountain roads of the Dauphiné and the Alps.

A NATIONAL VOCATION

With over 150 manufacturers, France was home to the industrial vehicle, and saw the first road haulage companies emerge within its borders .

The need to transport people and merchandise better and quicker has always been one of the most important priorities in human society.

A study of the development of the construction of French heavy goods vehicles shows remarkable ingenuity in this area.

ITS MISSION

“We should not allow the memory of our talent to be forgotten”. If we are not careful, the automobile construction industry – less than a century old – will lose sight of its nascent steps as quickly as it emerged: not only human accounts, but also the products, archives and industrial tools of the epoque.

Through the originality of an approach which takes the whole of the industry’s heritage into account, the Marius BERLIET foundation is playing a crucial role. Its contribution has been to safeguard and optimise a rich and diversified heritage, patiently built up over more than two decades.

Thanks to this conservation initiative, anybody can have access to the roots of an industry that is so vital to our modern society.  Its future is surely partly to do with understanding its past.

Many volunteers, all passionately interested in the subject, are helping a permanent team of 7 people to carry out this mission.

THE HERITAGE OF THE FOUNDATION

• vehicles (private cars, trucks, coaches and buses) and components (engines, units and different types of equipment), covering some 240 vehicles of all makes, all French, covering a period from 1886 to the present day, and almost 100 engines. Each year, several pieces, mostly from donations, are restored according to the strict requirements of the foundation: original materials, the original methods, reconstitution of equipment using documentation from the period, repair of mechanical elements.
• Three of these pieces of machinery have been classified historical monuments by the Ministry of Culture: the BERLIET type M truck from 1910, the LATIL front end from 1899 and the PATAY steam locomotive “Colibri” from 1886.
• an archive and documentation stock of over 1,800 linear metres: catalogues, technical files, maintenance manuals, photos, films, etc… featuring over 370 makes. The documents are carefully cleaned, sorted, categorised, inventoried and stored in air-conditioned premises.

The stock is growing regularly each year thanks to acquisitions and the generosity of many donors. Three research assistants work to make the information contained in these documents accessible, notably in the form of computerised research instruments.

The characteristic approach of the BERLIET Foundation is to resituate the product in its original technical, economic and social epoque.

THE CULTURAL DIMENSION OF AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY

The Conservatory of restored equipment is a collection that has been methodically put together primarily for educational reasons. None of its exhibits or premises are open to the public. It is therefore only accessible by appointment to groups meeting the following conditions: from the automobile, transport or heritage world or for reasons of general or technical education (students from secondary schools, middle schools, engineering schools, collectors’ clubs, professional bodies, associations of historians, etc…).

However, once a year, in May, it holds its “Fête des amis” event, to thank the 1,500 members of the “friends of the foundation” association and their families for their support.

Members who own vintage vehicles can also be part of the CAB (Club Automobiles Berliet) which organises an annual outing amongst other things.

Also, each year, the foundation takes part in a number of events, showing exhibits from its collection.

Equipment and archives are a precious research source for collectors, students, researchers and historians. They have been used as the basis for numerous university dissertations. Secondary school pupils from 5th and 6th forms have been working with the foundation for two years as part of the personalised tutored studies (TPE) and multi-discipline professional project (PPCP) programmes.

The involvement of the foundation at congresses and conferences contributes to general discussions as to the place of industrial culture in our society.

Via its chairman, Paul BERLIET,  the foundation was awarded with the Bradley prize in 1988, followed by the “friend of the history of the automobile” prize in 2000, awarded by the American Association of Automobile Historians.