Guiller “nez de cochon” Aubier Dunne

René Guiller and the SIM Moretti scooter

In 1911, brothers Pierre and René Guiller founded their company in Fontenay-le-Comte (Vendée), France, to Guiller Frères up. Initially the focus was on the production of bicycles and parts, but already in the 1920s they took the step towards motorised vehicles. Around 1927, their first motorbike appeared under the brand name Origan, laying the foundation for a broader motor adventure.

After World War II, the company flourished. France had a strong demand for light, affordable mobility, and Guiller responded with a wide range of light motorbikes, mopeds and scooters. For motorisation, they worked with well-known suppliers such as AMC, Ydral and Aubier-Dunne, which supplied their compact and reliable engine blocks.

A special episode in René Guiller's history was its collaboration with the Italian brand SIM (Società Italiana Moretti). In the early 1950s, Guiller built under licence the SIM Moretti scooter. Specifically, he imported bodywork and frames from the Italian SIM Moretti Gran Lusso, after which assembly and motorisation took place in France. Whereas the original Moretti was often equipped with a Puch engine, Guiller opted for French engines: AMC four-strokes (125 and 175 cc) and sometimes Aubier-Dunne (125 and 175cc) two-strokes. This gave the scooter its own, French accent that distinguished it from its Italian counterpart.

In terms of appearance, the lines remained recognisable: the Guiller version had the same stamped steel bodywork with the typical air vents. Yet there were subtle differences in finish and technical details, allowing connoisseurs to distinguish a Guiller-SIM from the original Italian Moretti. The scooter was even presented in 1952 at the prestigious Salon de Paris, which put Guiller in the spotlight as a scooter manufacturer.

Nevertheless, production remained modest. There is little data on exact numbers, but it is clear that Guiller scooters became much less widespread than the brand's motorbikes. Today, they are extremely rare, with only a few specimens preserved in museums, such as the Musée Auto Moto Vélo in Châtellerault, or in private collections.

The corporate structure itself changed in the mid-1950s. In 1954 Guiller Frères was split up: René Guiller went his own way, while the other branch continued as Guiller S.A. Around 1958, René Guiller's activities came to an end, although some sources are less unanimous on the exact stopping date.

What remains is the story of an entrepreneur who, driven by innovation and collaboration, managed to attach his name to one of the most elegant scooters of its time: the SIM Moretti, with a French soul.