A mystery as to its origins - though probably from Taiwan -  this "French" lathe was sold by Roy Freres et Anselmo, a wholesale distributor of machine tools based Villeurbanne, a district to the north east of Lyon. Although the company appears to have successful, turning over Euro 5,600,00 in 2004, by 2006 it had ceased trading - though a related company, Teyssou Rhone Alps, does continue.
Hinted on its badge that it dates from the early 1980s, the Freres is smaller than it looks, having a centre height of 85 mm, admitting 240 mm between centres (3.3" x 9.5") and weighing just 85 kg (187 lbs). Supplied with a large set of changewheels that allowed both Whitworth (inch) and metric pitches to be generated, the lathe was backgeared, powered by a 240 W motor and had a useful range of eight spindle speeds from 110 to 1400 r,p,m,
Wide and using V and flat-ways, bed appears to have been of particularly robust construction, as did the headstock, though the spindle bore was only 11 mm.