Berliet 1920s Range (Type VI / VRC / VK and six-cylinders) History

Emerging from receivership, Berliet rebuilt its passenger-car range from scratch. In 1924 the company presented new overhead-valve engines: the Type VI (1,160 cc, 7 CV) aimed at the popular market, a 12 CV (2,484 cc), and an 18 CV (3,969 cc) at the top of the range. The 1925 catalogue also listed the Type VRC (2,603 cc, 12 CV sidevalve) and the Type VK (3,958 cc, 18 CV overhead-valve), plus a larger Type VM (3,296 cc, 16 CV).

In 1927 Berliet launched two new six-cylinder models — a 1,800 cc small six and a 4,000 cc large six — to address the growing fashion for smoother, quieter engines. By the October 1928 Paris Motor Show, three of the four cars on the Berliet stand were six-cylinder models, and for 1929 the range spanned 9 CV through 20 CV entries.

From 1933, however, the company narrowed its focus sharply: only four-cylinder models of 1,600 cc and 2,000 cc remained in the catalogue, concentrating resources ahead of what would become the final Berliet passenger car, the Dauphine.