The Unic Saverne was one of the named models with which the French maker Unic sold Fiat-based trucks in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the French list of Unic vehicles it appears in 1960 as the MZ 36 Donon–Saverne, a Fiat C40/C50N with the Saint-Cloud cab, produced by Unic in France.
Unic Saverne at a glance
| Name | Unic MZ 36 Donon–Saverne |
|---|---|
| Listed | 1960 |
| Maker | Unic, by then part of Simca |
| Base | Fiat C40/C50N |
| Cab | Saint-Cloud |
| Built | by Unic in France |
| Markets | French domestic market; exported under the Fiat brand |
| Related names | Donon and Saverne, used together for the MZ 36 |
No dedicated article on the Saverne exists; the model is known from a single entry in the French list of Unic vehicles, so this page is based on that entry and the company history.
History of the Unic Saverne
From the mid-1950s Unic gave its trucks names taken from mountains and passes. The Izoard name was used from April 1955 on the ZU 121 and ZU 120T, and in 1956 came the ZU 101 Lautaret, described in the Unic vehicle list as the first pass name used by the maker for a cab, followed the same year by the ZU 66A Somport, ZU 66B Puymorens and ZU 81R Tourmalet.
The Saverne belongs to the next stage of that policy. The list of Unic vehicles records for 1960: “MZ 36 Donon – Saverne; trucks with the Saint-Cloud cab are Fiat C40/C50N produced by Unic in France for the domestic market and exported under the Fiat brand.” In the same year Unic began importing and distributing Italian OM trucks in France.
By then Unic belonged to Simca, which had bought the company in the 1950s after the death of Baron Henri de Rothschild. In 1954 Simca-Unic had taken over Ford’s French plant at Poissy, moving Ford car models into Simca and the Ford Cargo trucks into Unic; in 1956 Unic bought Saurer France and integrated its truck production. The Fiat connection became formal in 1966, when Unic was integrated into Fiat V.I. In 1970 all new Unic models received Fiat type H cabs, and in 1973 the grilles carried a Fiat-Unic logo while the models became rebadged Fiat and OM trucks. The creation of Iveco in 1975 left Unic building only rebadged Fiat commercial vehicles; the Unic marque disappeared in 1984.
Design and features
- Fiat C40/C50N base: the truck was a Fiat design rather than a Unic development.
- Saint-Cloud cab: the French-built version used this cab, as recorded in the Unic vehicle list.
- Two names: Donon and Saverne were used together for the MZ 36.
- French production and Fiat export: vehicles for France were built locally, while export examples carried the Fiat badge.
Unic Saverne versions
- MZ 36 Donon: the first of the two names recorded for the model.
- MZ 36 Saverne: the name used for the same Fiat-based truck.
- Export version: sold under the Fiat brand outside France.
The Saverne belongs to the period when Unic still designed and named its own trucks, before the Vercors and Izoard ranges of the Fiat era; more Unic history is in the Unic collection.
Sources
- Liste des véhicules Unic, French Wikipedia: 1960 entry, Fiat C40/C50N base, Saint-Cloud cab, naming history
- Unic (entreprise), French Wikipedia: Simca, Fiat and Iveco background
- Unic, English Wikipedia: company history
