Fernand Charron at the 1914 French Grand Prix

Fernand Charron (30 May 1866, in

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...

– 13 August 1928, in

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...

) was a French

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

and automobile manufacturing. He started his sporting career as a successful

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

. In 1891 he won the

French National Stayers Championships The French National Stayers Championships are held annually. The stayers event is often known as motor-paced. It is held on a cycling track, the riders follow a motor throughout the race, the rider of the motor is known as their pacer. The event i ...

riding a bicycle around a track following a tandem. Between 1897 and 1903 he took part in 18 car races, 4 of which he won: Marseille–Nice and Paris–Amsterdam–Paris in 1898, Paris–Bordeaux in 1899, and the inaugural Gordon Bennett Cup (Paris–Lyon) in 1900. He drove mainly

Panhard & Levassor Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed ...

cars. On one occasion, he crashed into a St Bernard dog which became wedged between the right wheel and the suspension and jammed the steering, though he still won the race. He retired after an unsuccessful season in 1903 and worked as manager of Adolphe Clément's factory complex at

Levallois-Perret Levallois-Perret () is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department and Île-de-France region of north-central France. It lies some from the centre of Paris in the north-western suburbs of the French capital. It is the most densely populated ...

. In 1901, Charron was one of the three founders of an automobile manufacturer,

Charron, Girardot et Voigt Automobiles Charron, Girardot & Voigt SA (trade mark C.G.V.) was a French motor manufacturer founded by the racing cyclists and motorists Fernand Charron, Léonce Girardot and Émile Voigt. History They opened one of the first French car ...

(CGV). Following resignations, the company was reformed in 1906 at

Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. In 2016, it had a population of 44,941. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the ...

as Charron Ltd., the English "Ltd" suffix reflecting a large amount of investment capital that came from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Shortly before the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Charron was trying to sell his auto business, but he nevertheless was also using it at this time to build cars for the Alda company. The arrival of peace in 1918 found Charron still owner of the business. At the Paris Motor Show in October 1919, it offered two models, the small 6HP "Type TC" (derived from the "Charronette" of 1914) and the 15HP "Type PGM". Charron married in 1907, and later divorced, Jeanne Clément, the second daughter of cycle and motor manufacturer

Adolphe Clément ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illicit ...

.Hydro Retro, Clement-Bayard, pdf (French) Clément-Bayard, sans peur et sans reproche par Gérard Hartmann
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References

External links

Racing drivers

1866 births 1928 deaths French racing drivers Sportspeople from Angers {{France-autoracing-bio-stub