Berliet Dauphine 11CV History

The Berliet Dauphine was first exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in October 1933 and went on sale in the summer of 1934. Powered by a 1,990 cc four-cylinder water-cooled engine producing 50 hp at 4,000 rpm and rated at 11 CV for French tax purposes, it drove the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. A 1,600 cc (9 CV) version joined the range shortly afterward, and a 14 CV variant was advertised as available to special order.

The Dauphine was technically up to date for a mid-1930s French car: its chassis featured independent front suspension via a transverse leaf spring combined with rack-and-pinion steering, and the underslung frame allowed a lower ride height than the older overslung designs it replaced. Berliet built the car in four body styles — a four-door berline saloon, a two-door coach saloon, a cabriolet, and a roadster — and approximately 6,850 units had been produced by the end of 1938.

For the October 1938 Paris Motor Show, Berliet unveiled a fully restyled Dauphine with fashionably curved panels in line with the trend set by Peugeot and Citroën. Production of this final version began slowly in early 1939, but by then Berliet had ceased manufacturing its own bodies. The very last Dauphines, launched at the Lyon Trade Fair in March 1939, were built on Berliet chassis and mechanical units clothed in the body of the Peugeot 402, distinguished only by a custom-made Berliet bonnet and radiator grille. With the outbreak of war later that year, passenger-car production ceased permanently; after 1945 Berliet built trucks and buses only.