1915 Latil Type TAR P Series

1915 Latil Type TAR P Series

Latil was a French automobile manufacturer specializing in heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks, tractors, and buses, starting from 1898.

In 1897, Auguste Joseph Frédéric Georges Latil patented the "broken transmission" system, which allowed the wheels to also be steering wheels (front).

In 1898, engineer Georges Latil and mechanic Alois Korn founded La société Korn et Lat in Marseille, where they invented a system that could easily replace the horse-drawn wagon's steering axle with a fully motorized part.

In 1903, the company moved to Levallois-Perret, changed its name to "Avant-Train Latil" and had great success in converting all types of horse-drawn wagons.

In 1908, Charles Blum joined the company, which became "Compagnie Française de Mécanique et d'Automobile - Avant-Train Latil" and started building 3-ton payload capacity trucks.

In 1911, Latil designed and built its first four-wheel-drive vehicle. This type of vehicle interested the French army in 1913 for its ability to tow heavy artillery on any field and was built as TAR (Tracteur d'Artillerie). Buyers of this vehicle could get a 30% discount as compensation for mobilization in case of war.

After World War I, Latil started building tractors for agriculture and logging and trucks for civil engineering.

In 1955, Latil was merged with Somua and Renault Poids Lourds, which continued its operations.

Descriptions and images from Wikipedia and Artcurial.