History

Willème was founded in 1923 by Louis Willeme, after working for Automobiles Grégoire

Automobiles Gregoire

Automobiles Grégoire was a French car manufacturer, established in 1902, that operated for about twenty years in the early 20th century. The company was the creation of Pierre Joseph Grégoire ....

.

Most were made with Deutz AG

Deutz AG

Deutz AG is an engine manufacturer, based in Cologne, Germany.-History:The company was founded by Nikolaus Otto, inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, in 1864 as N. A...

 engines; some with in-house engines; some with AEC. In the 1960s, Willème also sold rebadged AEC and BMC

British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...

 trucks.

Willème went bankrupt in 1970 and were taken over by PRP (Perez et Raymond), who continued to produce Willème's TG range of trucks. Eventually, some MOL Trucks were based on Willème designs.

Some Willème heavy-haul trucks are still in service.

Products

Willème specialised in heavy-haul trucks.

Early models

The DW12A was used as a tank transporter

Tank transporter

A tank transporter is a specialized road vehicle for the transport of tanks, to and from the battlefield or during peacetime. They are necessary to limit the mileage of the tracked vehicles and also to reduce wear on road surfaces which can easily be damaged by such heavy vehicles...

 by the French army.

Post-war trucks: S10, L10, and R15

10- and 15-ton trucks, with Deutz engines, sold between 1945 and 1953.

TL and LD series

Available with both AEC

AEC

AEC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Governance* African Economic Community* ASEAN Economic Community* Asian European Council, a Paris-based non-partisan policy research organization...

 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
  Detroit Diesel
  As a corporation, Daimler Trucks North America has decided to rename the company "DETROIT".Detroit Diesel Corporation is an American-based diesel engine producer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA...
  
   V16. Some were built by Trabosa.

External links

• Video of a restored Willeme TG200 ballast tractor
  Ballast tractor
  A ballast tractor is a heavy haulage road vehicle designed to pull or push heavy or exceptionally large loads. Unlike the tractor unit from an articulated trailer, the ballast tractor is designed or adapted to pull or push loads from a drawbar...