Latil

Latil was a French manufacturer of commercial vehicles 1914 until 1957.

History

Auguste Georges Latil (1878-1961) dealt with the vehicle since 1898 and was a pioneer of front-wheel drive. In 1914 he founded the Compagnie des Industriels Automobiles Latil in Suresnes southwest of Paris. Prior to the company in Paris from 1898 to 1902 was under the name Korn et Latil. From 1902 to 1914 the company Ateliers Charles Blum was called and was located in Levallois -Perret.

From 1914 Latil built in Suresnes his first self-developed vehicle with front wheel drive tricycle. The company specialized in the construction of tractors and trucks with four-wheel or all-wheel drive and all wheel steering. The financial partners helped him Charles Blum and for the innovative development Alois grain was responsible, who perfected the Traction Avant system. In the following period, from 1914 many four-wheel drive truck for the French Army were produced. From 1933 Latil also used V8 engines, and vans were built at that time with an 11- CV- four cylinder engine. The first cab-over with 4-7 t ( COE = Cab over engine / without hood ) built Latil 1935. The company also produced wood gas plants and LPG systems for all types of cars and commercial vehicles. The subsidiary in Brussels also produced the Latil Traulier type with 4 cylinders, 3668 cc displacement and four-wheel drive.

Latil tractors were sometimes copied in England from Shelvoke & Drewry licensed under the brand Trauliers. During the Second World War Latil built tractors for MAN.

After the war Latil renewed its comprehensive truck program, where the 6x6 vehicles were always innovative.

In the fall of 1955 Saviem was born from the merger of Latil with the commercial vehicle division of Renault, the SOMUA and Floirat under the leadership of Renault.

Sources and Literature

• The truck Lexicon (page 100), Schrader - Verlag 1998 ISBN 3-613-01837-3
• Vintage commercial vehicle Lexicon (page 204, 205 ), engine book publishing 2008 ISBN 978-3-613-02944-6