Details
1946 BERNA 3½ TON THREE WAY TIPPER
Chassis No. 20/400/73
Engine No. 79.874
Engine: direct injection four cylinder diesel, 5.3 litre, 65bhp; Gearbox: five speed with synchromesh on top two gears; Brakes: pneumatic drums; Suspension: semi-elliptic all round. Left hand drive.
The story of Berna, (Motorwagenfabrick Berna AG, Olten, Switzerland), a small truck maker, is interlinked with that of Saurer, in a manner reminiscent of the saga of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Berna was founded in 1905 in Olten, Switzerland by J Wyss, previously an engine builder. The company made little progress and was taken over by the British financial group Hutson Consolidated in 1908. Swiss owners took over again in 1912 but Berna sales still lagged behind those of Saurer, the market leader. In 1929 Saurer took a controlling interest in Berna. Berna trucks immediately began to use Saurer engines and over the years Berna chassis increasingly began to resemble their Saurer counterparts, but the two marques were badged and sold separately until 1982. This truck is of the U-range which came out in 1936 and corresponds to Saurer's C-range. Its engine is the small 5.3 litre four cylinder diesel, making 65bhp, and it uses a five speed gearbox and air operated drum brakes. Its dropside body tips to the left, to the right or to the rear.
This example was delivered to the Swiss army and, like many similar vehicles of the period may have covered only a low mileage. It still sports its radiator guard (for driving through the underbrush) and has gun racks in the cab. The original camouflage paint has been sprayed over with red and black.
The standards of construction are high (the cross members for the tipper, for example, are forged) and the mechanicals are in excellent condition having been overhauled. As well as the normal electric starter, there is a silent Nova-Starter system, which works from compressed air, and it also has a Webasto heater. It is sold with copies of all the relevant manuals and instructions and Swiss registration documents.
NO RESERVE
Chassis No. 20/400/73
Engine No. 79.874
Engine: direct injection four cylinder diesel, 5.3 litre, 65bhp; Gearbox: five speed with synchromesh on top two gears; Brakes: pneumatic drums; Suspension: semi-elliptic all round. Left hand drive.
The story of Berna, (Motorwagenfabrick Berna AG, Olten, Switzerland), a small truck maker, is interlinked with that of Saurer, in a manner reminiscent of the saga of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Berna was founded in 1905 in Olten, Switzerland by J Wyss, previously an engine builder. The company made little progress and was taken over by the British financial group Hutson Consolidated in 1908. Swiss owners took over again in 1912 but Berna sales still lagged behind those of Saurer, the market leader. In 1929 Saurer took a controlling interest in Berna. Berna trucks immediately began to use Saurer engines and over the years Berna chassis increasingly began to resemble their Saurer counterparts, but the two marques were badged and sold separately until 1982. This truck is of the U-range which came out in 1936 and corresponds to Saurer's C-range. Its engine is the small 5.3 litre four cylinder diesel, making 65bhp, and it uses a five speed gearbox and air operated drum brakes. Its dropside body tips to the left, to the right or to the rear.
This example was delivered to the Swiss army and, like many similar vehicles of the period may have covered only a low mileage. It still sports its radiator guard (for driving through the underbrush) and has gun racks in the cab. The original camouflage paint has been sprayed over with red and black.
The standards of construction are high (the cross members for the tipper, for example, are forged) and the mechanicals are in excellent condition having been overhauled. As well as the normal electric starter, there is a silent Nova-Starter system, which works from compressed air, and it also has a Webasto heater. It is sold with copies of all the relevant manuals and instructions and Swiss registration documents.
NO RESERVE