![Gladiator Double Phaeton 1907](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Gladiator_Double_Phaeton_1907.JPG)
The Gladiator Cycle Company, Clément-Gladiator (from 1896), was a French manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (; simply known by locals as Le Pré, i.e. "the meadow") is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 25,643 inhabitants per square kilometres as of 20 ...
,
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
.
Throughout its productive life from 1891 until its demise in 1920 the company was variously owned by: the founders
Alexandre Darracq
Alexandre Darracq (10 November 1855 – 1931) was a French investor, engineer, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France and he sold a substantial part of h ...
and Paul Aucoq; from 1896 by a London public listed company Clément, Gladiator & Humber renamed in 1901 Société Française des Cycles Clément & Gladiator and from 1906 by '
Vinot et Deguingand'.
Cycle manufacture
Gladiator cycles
The cycle manufacturer was founded at
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (; simply known by locals as Le Pré, i.e. "the meadow") is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 25,643 inhabitants per square kilometres as of 20 ...
,
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
north east of Paris by
Alexandre Darracq
Alexandre Darracq (10 November 1855 – 1931) was a French investor, engineer, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France and he sold a substantial part of h ...
and Paul Aucoq in 1891.
In 1891, the English cycle maker,
Thomas Pullinger
Thomas Charles Willis Pullinger CBE OBE OBK JP (1867 – July 1945) was an English automobile engineer. He began his career working with bicycles before the first cars were built. After working for Sunbeam and Humber, he helped expand the Scott ...
, was asked to visit Gladiator on behalf of
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
Cycles to discuss a potential
partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...
. This did not materialise.
Clément-Gladiator cycles
In 1896 Adolphe Clément who held the extremely profitable manufacturing rights for Dunlop tyres in France joined with a syndicate led by
Dunlop's founder
Harvey Du Cros to buy out the Gladiator Cycle Company and they merged it into a major bicycle manufacturing conglomerate of
Clément, Gladiator &
Humber & Co Limited.
The range of cycles was expanded with
tricycles
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes ...
,
quadricycles
A quadracycle is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadricycle, quadcycle, pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle amongst other terms.
Quadracycles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into several fami ...
, and in 1902 a motorised bicycle, then cars and motorcycles.
Motorised cycle manufacture
Clément and Gladiator
From 1895 Clément cycles also started to focus on motorized vehicles. In 1902 they offered a motorized bicycle with a 142 cc engine that had an automatic inlet valve, an overhead exhaust valve and an external flywheel. The combined oil and petrol tank was behind the saddle and the batteries were stored in a leather case strapped to the horizontal frame tube. This 'motorisation adaptation' was sold on both Clément and Gladiator cycles. In Britain these popular motorised cycles were known as Clément-Garrards.
Motor manufacturing
Clément-Gladiator motorcars
After the 1896 takeover the range was expanded and in 1902 a motorised bicycle lead to cars and motorcycles.(See
Clément Gladiator cycles above for further details)
From 1901 Clément-Gladiator cars were built at the Levallois-Perret factory and by 1902 production was over 1,000 cars per annum, 800+ of which were sold in England. Some of these cars were equipped with engines manufactured nearby in
Saint-Denis Paris by
Aster
Aster or ASTER may refer to:
Biology
* ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants
** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English
* Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...
in single, twin or four cylinder configurations.
The company was divided in 1903, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot running Clément-Talbot Ltd with Adolphe Clément as a significant shareholder. Clément renamed the French branch Clément-Gladiator and also formed
Clément-Bayard
Clément-Bayard, Bayard-Clément, was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by entrepreneur Gustave Adolphe Clément. Clément obtained consent from the Conseil d'Etat to change his name to that of his b ...
.
After 1903 the Clément-Gladiator name continued to be used on the shaft-drive cars made at the Pre-Saint-Gervais factory, whilst chain-driven vehicles were marketed as Gladiators. The Clément name was dropped in 1907 and in 1909 another French manufacturer, Vinot et Deguingand, took over Gladiator and transferred production to Puteaux. At this time the Pre-Saint-Gervais factory reverted to making bicycles.
In 1909 Gladiator was bought by Vinot et Deguingand, who transferred production to their factory at Puteaux. The Pré St Gervais works continued to make bicycles. The production of the 1908 12hp model P or PS, was transferred in 1909 to the Vinot Deguingand factory in Puteaux. From then the P model was also available as a Vinot Deguingand and stayed in production until 1910. It was the last Gladiator designed car as Vinot Deguingand took over.
The Gladiator name was dropped from the cars in 1920.
Wartime Production
During the First World War the
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (; simply known by locals as Le Pré, i.e. "the meadow") is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 25,643 inhabitants per square kilometres as of 20 ...
Gladiator factory produced arms from 1915, and was the principal producer of the
Chauchat
The Chauchat ("show-sha", ) was the standard light machine gun or "machine rifle" of the French Army during World War I (1914–18). Its official designation was "Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG" ("Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG"). Beginning i ...
machine rifle. The general manager, Paul Ribeyrolles, was involved in the design of the
Chauchat
The Chauchat ("show-sha", ) was the standard light machine gun or "machine rifle" of the French Army during World War I (1914–18). Its official designation was "Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG" ("Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG"). Beginning i ...
and other French small-arms during the war.
Gallery
File:Btv1b84489297-p038.jpg, Lisette and Eteogella on Gladiator bicycles with Simpson lever chains in 1896
File:Gladiator 1899 3.5 HP Phaeton on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Gladiator 3 1/2HP Phaeton from 1899
File:Gladiator 1899 3.5 HP Phaeton on London to Brighton VCR 2010 (2).jpg, Gladiator 3 1/2HP Phaeton from 1899
File:Gladiator 1900 6.5 HP Tonneau on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Gladiator 6 1/2HP Tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
from 1900
File:Gladiator 1901 6.5 HP Two-seater on London to Brighton VCR 2013.jpg, Gladiator 6 1/2HP Two-seater from 1901
File:Gladiator 10HP Tonneau 1902 07-11-2010 12-47-56.JPG, Gladiator 10HP Tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
from 1902
File:Gladiator 10HP Tonneau 1903 07-11-2010 13-16-12.JPG, Gladiator 10HP Tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
from 1903
File:Gladiator 10HP Rear-entrance tonneau 1903 07-11-2010 13-16-35.JPG, Gladiator 10HP Rear-entrance tonneau from 1903
File:Renault 1903 Tonneau & Gladiator 1903 10HP Tonneau on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Gladiator 10HP Tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
(347) from 1903 and Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
10/12 HP Tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
(355) from 1903
File:Gladiator 14 HP Demi-limousine 1904 03-11-2013 08-55-46.jpg, Gladiator 14 HP Demi-limousine from 1904
File:Gladiator 1910.JPG, Gladiator type P 1910
See also
*For other cycle, motor-cycle, motor-car, aeroplane and airship companies associated with French industrialist Adolphe Clément-Bayard, see
Clement (disambiguation)
Clement or Clément may refer to:
People
* Clement (name), a given name and surname
* Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People
Places
* Clément, French Guiana, a town
* Clement, Missouri, U.S.
* Clement Township, Michigan, U.S.
Other uses
* Ad ...
Notes
References
External links
Posters of Gladiator-BicyclesGladiator 2-seater car, 1907
{{French bicycle manufacturers
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1891
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France
Brass Era vehicles
Cycle manufacturers of France
French companies established in 1891
1920 disestablishments in France
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1920
1909 mergers and acquisitions
Companies based in Île-de-France