Chausson SC3

The Chausson-Saviem APH-522, also known as the Chausson SC3, is a French vehicle measuring 10.3 metres long and 2.5 metres wide.

This vehicle entered service in 1960 and served with the French armed forces.

The image on the left shows the vehicle’s technical specifications in French. Features such as the absence of a centre door to increase capacity, the number of passengers it could carry and its status as a French-built vehicle helped make this type very common in public transport fleets throughout France.

The vehicle was recovered in 2004 by Standard 216, an association based in Grenoble, France.

It was transferred to ARCA in 2011. Restoration is currently suspended owing to a lack of funding and technical resources, and the vehicle is therefore not operational.

Chausson buses and coaches were built in France between 1942 and 1964, with production exceeding 13,500 units. Two distinct styles appeared during this period: the AP1 to AP3 models built up to 1951 had a projecting radiator front nicknamed the “nez de cochon” or pig’s snout, while the AP52 introduced in 1951 featured a new front design that was immediately well received.

The preserved vehicle belongs to a model first produced in 1956. It is an APH-522: a coach powered by an 85 hp, four-cylinder Panhard 4HL diesel engine with a Renondin manual gearbox. Because it was built after the merger with Saviem around 1960, it also carries the parallel designation SC3.

This particular vehicle was built between 1960 and 1963. It spent its entire working life with the French armed forces, first with the Air Force and later with the Army. This history can be inferred from the two colour schemes visible on the bodywork: satin dark green beneath matt khaki green.

Its registration number is 3310054 and, judging by the odometer, it saw relatively little use: it has covered only 101,306 kilometres.

For further information about its origins, we provide a translation of the vehicle’s original description, available through the linked Standard 216 website.

Standard 216 recovered it in early 2004. In March 2011 it was transferred to ARCA with the intention of restoring it. Preservation work has progressed very slowly, however, because of limited funding and technical resources.

In 2016 the bodywork on the door side was repaired and the window frames were rebuilt. Work continued on the rear and interior of the vehicle in 2017.