Gustave Adolphe Clément, known from 1909 Clément-Bayard (; 22 September 1855 – 10 March 1928), was a French entrepreneur. Despite being orphaned, he became a blacksmith and a ''
Compagnon du Tour de France.'' He later ventured into racing and manufacturing bicycles, pneumatic tyres, motorcycles, automobiles, aeroplanes and airships.
[
In 1894, he was a passenger in the winning vehicle in the world's first competitive motor event. Albert Lemaître's Peugeot was judged to be the winner of the Paris–Rouen 'Competition for Horeseless Carriages' (''Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux'').]
As a result of selling the manufacturing rights to his ''Clément'' car, he added ''Bayard'' to the name of his new business. The company name honoured Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, who saved the company's town of Mézières from an Imperial army during the Siege of Mézières in 1521.
In 1909, five years after the successful launch of the ''Clément-Bayard'' automobile brand, he applied for and obtained the consent of the Conseil d'Etat to change his surname (and that of his descendants) to Clément-Bayard. He was appointed a Commander of the Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
in 1912.
Most of his manufacturing empire was destroyed by World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
– by German ransacking, by conversion to war production for France, and by the subsequent weak economic market. In 1922, the ''Clément-Bayard'' company was sold to André Citroën
André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is also remembered for his application of double helical gears.
Life and career
Born in Paris in 1878, A ...
, and the factory at Levallois-Perret became the centre of 2CV manufacturing for the next 40 years.
Personal life
Early life
Gustave Adolphe Clément, the son of a grocer, was born at rue du Bourg in Pierrefonds, Oise
Pierrefonds () is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, French department of Oise, Hauts-de-France, northern France, known for its Château de Pierrefonds.
History
The lords of Pierrefonds in the Middle Ages were:
* (1047� ...
. He was the second of five children of Leopold Adolphus Clément and Julie Alexandrine Rousselle. His mother died when he was seven years old, and his father remarried but died two years later, when he was nine years old. For the next seven years, he was raised by his stepmother, who had remarried a school teacher. He studied at the primary school in Pierrefonds and then at the College of Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France, France. It is notable as the signing-place in 1539 of the '' Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts'' discontinuing the use of Latin in official French documents, and as ...
. At the age of 13, he began working in the family business by delivering groceries and later chose to apprentice as a farrier/blacksmith.[
During the winter of 1871–1872, the 16-year-old Clément left Pierrefonds to travel around France as a '' Compagnon du Tour de France'', an organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the ]Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. He had saved 30 francs (circa 100 Euros in 2006) by doing multiple jobs for three years. He subsisted in each city by working in forges owned by the ''Compagnons du Tour de France'', shoeing horses, repairing metal and doing any kind of work. He reached Paris in 1872, followed by Orléans
Orléans (,["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...]
, where he encountered 'Truffault cycles'. This led him to acquire 2 wooden cart wheels and build an iron bicycle frame.[
Cycle racing had begun in 1869 ( Paris–Rouen), so in 1873, J.M.M. Truffault lent the 18-year-old Clément an iron bicycle with solid rubber tires to race in ]Angers
Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...
. He finished 6th and was exhilarated to read his name in the newspapers.[
]
Family life
Clément married Céleste Angèle Roguet, and they had four children – Albert, Angèle, Jeanne and Maurice. Albert died while racing at the 1907 French Grand Prix. Angèle (1880–1972) was widowed from Albert Dumont, an engineer and director at the Levallois factory. Angèle then remarried Numa Joseph Edouard "Petit" Sasias (1882–1927), a ''Fonctionnaire aux Affaires Etrangères, ex-Secrétaire à la Présidence du Conseil'', with whom she had one son. Jeanne became divorced from Fernand Charron, a racing driver and manager of the plant at Levallois-Perret, subsequently living alone. Maurice married Renée Hammond and had three children – Andrée, Jacqueline and Albert (nicknamed 'Billy' to avoid confusion and memories of his uncle Albert).[
The ''Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt'' in Pierrefonds was originally a 17th-century hunting lodge of the 'Sun King' ]Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, which had been upgraded circa 1822. Located west of both the Château de Pierrefonds
The Château de Pierrefonds () is a castle situated in the commune of Pierrefonds in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region, Northern France.
It is located on the southeast edge of the forest of Compiègne, northeast of Paris, betw ...
and his own birthplace on the rue du Bourg, Clément bought the property around 1904 and employed architect Edward Redont to renovate and remodel it.[ Latterly, the ''Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt'' was used by his son Maurice, while Clément continued living at 35 Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, Neuilly-sur-Seine.][
]
Later life
By 1893, Clément owned the ''Vélodrome de la Seine'' near the site of the factory at Levallois-Perret. ''La plus belle et la plus vite piste du monde"''. It was managed by Tristan Bernard, who also managed the Vélodrome Buffalo, and its events were an integral part of Parisian life, being regularly attended by personalities such as Toulouse-Lautrec. Clément reportedly sold or converted this around 1900.[
On achieving business success, he used the ]Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
ate format of his name ('Gustavus Adolphus'), and he received permission from the ''Conseil d'État'' in 1909 to change his surname to 'Clément-Bayard'.[
The death of his son Albert while racing at the 1907 French Grand Prix had a lasting effect on him. In 1913, he was elected as mayor of Pierrefonds and, on taking office, he ceded control of the ''Clément-Bayard'' company in 1914 to his son Maurice, who was passionate about aviation.]
In 1928, he died of a heart attack while driving along the rue Laffitte to a meeting of a board of directors in Paris.
Cycle manufacturing
In 1876, after 2 years of cycle racing, working and saving, Clément had enough money to start in business, so he opened a bicycle repair works in Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, aged 21. The next stage of his business plan was to move to Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, where he learned how to manufacture steel tubes for bicycles. The following year, he moved to Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
and began manufacturing whole bicycles under the name 'Clément SA cycles'.[
]
Clément cycles
The following year, circa 1878, Clément moved to Paris and opened a cycle business, ''A. Clément & Cie'', at 20 rue Brunel near the Place de l'Etoile. Here, he also ran a cycling school and was competing in cycle races. In Paris, his business backers were monsieur de Graffenried and monsieur de Montgeron.[
At the end of 1878, Clément partnered the cycling champion Charles Terront at the 'Six-Days' cycling event at the Agricultural Hall in London. He also opened a sales showroom at 31 rue du 4-Septembre in Paris and started a poster advertising campaign, a new concept.
In September 1879, Clément built an iron smelter at ]Tulle
Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...
, in the Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
, where there was a good supply of water power, but he did not have sufficient financing to make it viable. In addition, Tulle was too remote from Paris, so he had to sell the plant.[
By 1880, the "Clément" cycle manufacturing business at rue Brunel had circa 150 employees building bicycles.][''Image and description of 1880 Clément cycle'']
The machines were regarded as high quality, and by 1890, ''Clément'' was the leading cycle brand in France.[
]
Clément-Gladiator cycles
The Gladiator Cycle Company, a French bicycle manufacturer, was founded by Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq in 1891 at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais in northeast Paris.[ Clément was a major investor in this venture.]
In 1895, Gladiator introduced its first internal combustion, a naphtha
Naphtha (, recorded as less common or nonstandard in all dictionaries: ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Generally, it is a fraction of crude oil, but it can also be produced from natural-gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and ...
powered tricycle.
In 1896, 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, and Humber & Co Limited, valued at 22 million francs (circa €60–80 million Euro in 2006).. 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 (also spelled quadricycle) is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadcycle, pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle amongst other terms.
Quadracycles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into ...
, and in 1902 a motorised bicycle, then cars and motorcycles.
Shortly after the purchase of Gladiator cycles in 1896, Clément began to build the new factory at Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...
in northwest Paris, which also produced various cars from 1898 (''see below'') and went on to build the Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV (, , lit. "two horses", meaning "two Tax horsepower#France, ''taxable'' horsepower") is an economy car produced by the French company Citroën from 1948 to 1990. Introduced at the 1948 Paris Paris Auto Show, Salon de l'Automobi ...
for nearly forty years.
Motorised cycle manufacturing
Clément and Gladiator
From 1895, Clément cycles started to focus on motorized vehicles. In 1895, it introduced its first internal combustion vehicle, a naphtha
Naphtha (, recorded as less common or nonstandard in all dictionaries: ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Generally, it is a fraction of crude oil, but it can also be produced from natural-gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and ...
powered tricycle. In 1902, they offered a motorized bicycle with a 142 cc engine bolted to the frame, using overhead valves and a detachable cylinder head; the inlet valve 'automatic' (controlled by engine suction), the exhaust valve mechanically operated. A coil-and-battery ignition was used, and a two-barrel carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter)
is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
controlled by small levers attached to the frame top tube. An external flywheel kept the crankcase very small, and a long belt from the engine pulley to a 'dummy' rim on the rear wheel was tensioned by a small 'jockey' pulley on the seat tube. The front brake pressed direct on the front tire, the rear was a 'coaster' brake activated by back-pedaling. This 'motorisation adaptation' was sold on both Clément and Gladiator cycles.[
]
Clément-Garrard
In Britain, these popular motorised cycles were known as Clément-Garrards.[ James Lansdowne Norton built Clément bicycle frames under license, and used the Clément clip-on engine for his first Norton motorcycles.
]
Tyre manufacturing
Dunlop
In 1889, Clément saw a Dunlop pneumatic tyre in London and acquired the French manufacturing rights for 50,000 francs. This success led to his millionaire status.[ The company he formed with a capital of 700,000 francs paid 100 per cent dividend in its first year of operation.][Unique cars, Founding fathers – Gustave Clément](_blank)
/ref> Dunlop France, and occasionally Clément-Dunlop, was a regular entrant of motor racing and cycle racing teams.
Clément Pneumatics
Clément is reported to have begun manufacture of Clément Tyres in 1878 to fit to the early cycles, but the French identity was lost with the overwhelming success of his Dunlop pneumatics. After World War I, Clément Pneumatics was established in Italy and was a leading supplier of ''Clément Pneumatici'' bicycle tyres throughout much of the 20th century. A leading international manufacturer during the 1950s,1960s and 1970s, it was associated with racing cyclists such as Eddy Merckx
Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...
, Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964.
He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the ye ...
, Felice Gimondi, and Ole Ritter. It was purchased by Pirelli
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
in the 1980s and manufacturing was moved to Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
until 1995 when Pirelli vacated the bicycle tyre market. Various licensing arrangements were of little consequence until, in 2010 the name was licensed to Donnelly Sports and the American, Don Kellogg, who recommenced manufacture in Thailand.
Motor manufacturing
Clément-Gladiator motorcars
By 1898, the new Clément-Gladiator company was building cars and marketing them as both Cléments and Gladiators. Gladiators were imported into England by the Motor Power Company, which was co-owned by S. F. Edge and Harvey du Cros, founder of Dunlop. Financed by Harvey du Cros, Herbert Austin built Clement-Gladiator cars at Longbridge
Longbridge is an area in the south-west of Birmingham, England, located near the border with Worcestershire, historically being within this place.
Public transport
Longbridge is described as a hub for public transport with a number of bus ...
from early 1906, selling them as Austin cars.
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.[
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.][
]
Panhard et Levassor
In 1897, Clément invested one million francs (the equivalent of about three 3 million Euros at 2006 valuation) in Panhard & Levassor, part of their five million francs capitalisation. This established the main business and eventually led to the creation of the ''Clément-Panhard'' marque.
Clément-Bayard
Clément-Gladiator was divided in 1903 – Charles Chetwynd-Talbot founded the English arm Clément-Talbot Ltd, while Clément formed Clément-Bayard
Clément-Bayard, also known as Bayard-Clément, was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard, Gustave Adolphe Clément. Clément obtained consent from the Conseil d'Eta ...
on a former military site at Mézières (now Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
). He chose the name Bayard in commemoration of Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, who saved the town of Mézières in 1521. A statue of the Chevalier stood in front of the Mézières factory, and the image was incorporated into the company logo. After the split, both marques built very similar cars, but the specifications gradually diverged.
In 1922, the Clément-Bayard company was sold to André Citroën
André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is also remembered for his application of double helical gears.
Life and career
Born in Paris in 1878, A ...
, in whom Clément also invested financially, and the factory at Levallois-Perret was the centre of 2CV manufacturing for the next 40 years.
Clément-Panhard
Clément was a director of Panhard-Levassor, and when the factory could not meet the production requirements for circa 500 units of the 1898 ''voiture légère'' ('dog cart') model, he undertook manufacture under licence at his factory in Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...
. It was designed by airship pioneer Commandant Arthur Krebs, of Panhard, Clement-Panhard English patent
/ref> and used a tubular chassis, centre-pivot steering, near-horizontal rear-mounted engine with automatic inlet valve and hot-tube ignition, driving through a constant-mesh gear-train, and final drive by side chains; early models had no reverse gear.[Clément-Panhard](_blank)
, ''The Encyclopedia of Motoring''[
]
Clément-Rothschild
Around 1902, a series of Clément-Rothschild bodied automobiles, based on the Panhard-Levassor chassis, were produced by Carrosserie Clément-Rothschild at 33 Quai Michelet, Levallois-Perret, either adjacent to or in Clément's Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...
factory. There may have been two Rothschild coach-building enterprises active in Paris at that time, because J. Rothschild & Fils traded from 131 Avenue Malakoff but had been founded by Austrian-born Josef Rothschild in 1838 in Levallois-Perret, and was building automobile coachwork by 1894. By 1896, the business had been purchased by Edmond Rheims and Leon Auscher, and it pioneered aluminium composite coachwork.[Coachbuilt.com, Profile of Rothschild & Co, Audineau et Cie, Rothschild et Cie.](_blank)
/ref>
Clément-Stirling and Stirling-Panhard
Some Clément-Panhards were exported to Great Britain, where they were variously sold as Clément-Stirling and Stirling-Panhard, by the Scottish coachbuilder Stirling.[
]
Clément-Talbot
Clément was a major shareholder in the company, along with Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury (who was chairman), A. Lucas and E. Lamberjack, both of France. Both marques (Clément-Bayard and Clément-Talbot) built very similar cars, but by 1907, the specifications diverged.[
On 11 October 1902, Clément-Talbot was formally incorporated, and subsequently of land was purchased for a new factory in ]Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.
It is also the name of the sur ...
, North Kensington, in west London, between the Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
line and the 'Edinburgh road' before it was renamed the 'Barlby road'. The factory was a high-status operation whose brick workshops used the latest saw-tooth roof line, glazed to maximise natural light. It was equipped with the most modern machine tools and the reception area was laid out like a miniature palace, marble Ionic columns, gilded fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
es and stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows etched with the Shrewsbury coat of arms. The building is now known as Ladbroke Hall. () [
The company traded as Clément-Talbot and the factory was titled Clément-Talbot, but after the first year of trading, the cars were always known as Talbots.][
]
Diatto-Clément
In 1905, Clément created the Diatto-Clément Societa Anonima in partnership with Diatto, who had been coachbuilders in Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
since 1835. The cars, known as ''Torinos'', were built in Turin under licence from Clément. The first cars were the 20-25HP which used 3,770cc four-cylinder engines. These were followed by 10-12HP (1,884cc two-cylinder) and 14-18HP (2,724cc four-cylinder) models. This series was a success and was followed by a six-cylinder model. In 1909, Clément left the business, and the company was renamed Societa Fonderie Officine Frejus.[Motorbase – Diatto-Clément](_blank)
/ref>
Clément Motor Company (Britain)
In 1906, Clément set up the Clément Motor Company in Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, England, to build Gladiators under licence. It used the motto "Simply Clément, nothing else" to avoid confusion with Clément-Talbots, which by then were known only as Talbots. Various sources record that motorcars were manufactured and sold under the ''Clément'' brand between 1907 (1908) and 1914. The company is recorded as Clément Motor company Ltd., Coventry, Warwickshire.[
]
Motor racing
World's first motor race
Clément had no direct involvement in the nascent motor industry until around 1897, but he was a passenger in Albert Lemaître's (Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
) that was judged to be the official winner of what is considered to be the world's first motor race on 22 July 1894, from Paris to Rouen.
The event was a publicity exercise organised by Pierre Giffard of '' Le Petit Journal'' newspaper and consisted of 69 cars starting a selection event before 25 were allowed into the main event, the race from Paris (Porte Maillot) to Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
. Albert Lemaître completed the course in 9 hours 18 minutes at an average speed of , followed by Auguste Doriot (Peugeot), René Panhard (Panhard
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#Military vehicles, Re ...
) and Émile Levassor (Panhard). Count Jules-Albert de Dion
Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne (; 9 March 185619 August 1946) was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was ...
reached Rouen 3’30" ahead of Albert Lemaître but as cars were judged on speed, handling and safety characteristics the official winners were Peugeot and Panhard. De Dion's steam car needed a stoker which was forbidden.[Forix, Autosport, 8W – Welcome to Who? What? Where? When? Why? on the World Wide Web. ''The cradle of motorsport'' by Rémi Paolozzi, 28 May 2003](_blank)
/ref>
Paris–Berlin Trail
Clément was classified 20th in the 1901 Paris–Berlin Trail. Driving Panhard
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#Military vehicles, Re ...
number 18, he completed the event in 21 hours 53 minutes and 38 seconds.
Clément-Bayard
Clément started building automobiles in 1903 and then started building racing cars in 1904. The racing team included Albert Clément, Jacques Guders, Rene Hanriot, Marc-Philippe Villemain, 'Carlès', "De la Touloubre" and A. Villemain, and Pierre Garcets.
1904 season
Albert Clément finished 10th at ''L' Eliminatoires Françaises de la Coupe Internationale'', held at the Forest of Argonne
The Forest of Argonne () is a long strip of mountainous and wild woodland in northeastern France, approximately east of Paris. The forest measures roughly long and wide filled with many small hills and deep valleys formed by water run-off fr ...
on 20 May 1904. This was an eliminating contest for the French entry into the ''Coupe Internationale'' (''Gordon Bennett Race''), where only three cars were allowed per country. He finished in 7 hours 10 minutes 52.8 seconds.
Albert Clément won the ''II Circuit des Ardennes des Voiturettes'' on 24 July 1904 at Bastogne
Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...
in 4h 26m 52.6seconds, at an average speed of 53.91 km/h. He drove his Clément-Bayard into third place at the ''III Circuit des Ardennes'' race at Bastogne, on 25 July 1904. He finished second at the 1904 ''W.K. Vanderbilt Cup Race'' on Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
on 8 October 1904.
1905 season
Rene Hanriot finished tenth in 8 hours 23 minutes 39.6s at the ''II Eliminatoires Françaises de la Coupe Internationale'' at the Auvergne on 16 June. This was a qualifier for the ''Coupe Internationale'' (''Gordon Bennett Race'').
At the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island, Clément drove an 80-hp Clément-Bayard (France #12) but suffered reliability problems.
Clément retired his Clément-Bayard after the first 166 km lap of the ''II Coppa Florio'' at Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
Italy on 4 September 1905. His team-mate 'Carlès' retired after 2 laps.
1906 season
Clément-Bayard entered 3 cars for the inaugural 1906 French Grand Prix at Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
where Albert Clément finished third in his 100Hp machine. He completed the 1,238 km event in 12 hours 49 minutes 46.2seconds. Clément lead the race at the end of laps 2 and 5 on the second day. Punctures were common and Michelin
Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
introduced a detachable rim, saving 11 minutes over manually replacing the tyre. This enabled Felice Nazzaro (FIAT
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
) to take second place from Clément.
Albert Clément finished 6th in the ''V Circuit des Ardennes'' on 13 August 1906 at Bastogne. He completed the 7 lap 961 km race in 6 hours 2 minutes 55.2 seconds in a 100Hp Clément-Bayard. His team-mates A. Villemain and Pierre Garcet finished 11th and 12th.
At the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup, Clément finished 4th driving a Clément-Bayard (France #15) and completing the ten laps averaging .[Vanderbilt Cup Races, 1906 entries](_blank)
/ref>
1907 season
Albert Clément died while practising for the 1907 French Grand Prix on 17 May. Of the three other Clément-Bayard entries, Pierre Garcet and Elliott Shepard, finished seventh and eighth respectively. Clément's car was entered by 'Alezy', who retired after four laps.
1908 season
The company entered three cars for the 1908 French Grand Prix, using a 12,963 cc six-cylinder overhead camshaft engine. Victor Rigal finished fourth.[Clement-Bayard](_blank)
''The Encyclopedia of Motoring''
Other events
In 1905, Clément-Bayard won the ''Coupe de Calais'' and 'finished well' at the ''Course de Dourdan''. In both 1907 and 1908, Clément-Bayard won the ''Coupe de l'Automobile-Club de Cannes', and in 1908, it also won the ''Tour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile was a sports car race held on roads around France regularly (mostly annually) between 1899 and 1986.
History
The first edition in 1899 was won by René de Knyff driving a Panhard et Levassor at 30 mph (50&nbs ...
''.[
]
Aeroplane manufacture
Clément-Bayard was an early French manufacturer of aircraft engines and lighter-than-air vehicles, with the earliest flights occurring in 1908. Clément-Bayard created the world's first series production aircraft.[
The company worked with Louis Capazza to produce the 'planeur (glider) Bayard-Clément' that was unveiled in '']L'Aérophile
''L’Aérophile'' ("The Aerophile") was a French aviation magazine published from 1893 to 1947. It has been described as "the leading aeronautical journal of the world" around 1910.
History and contents
''L’Aérophile'' was founded and ru ...
'' on 15 May 1908.[
The company also started working with ]Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont (self-stylised as Alberto Santos=Dumont; 20 July 1873 – 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian aeronaut, sportsman, inventor, and one of the few people to have contributed significantly to the early development of both lighter-t ...
in 1908 to build his '' Demoiselle No 19'' monoplane that he had designed to compete for the '' Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon'' prize from the Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France () is one of the oldest French aviators' associations still active. It was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la ...
. The plane was small and stable, but they planned a production run of 100 units, built 50 and sold only 15 for 7,500 francs for each airframe. It was the world's first series production aircraft. By 1909 it was offered with a choice of 3 engines, Clément-Bayard 20 hp; Wright 4-cyl 30 hp (Clément-Bayard had the license to manufacture Wright engines); and Clément-Bayard 40 hp designed by Pierre Clerget. It achieved 120 km/h.[
Pierre Clerget designed a range of Clément-Bayard aircraft engines including a 7-cylinder supercharged radial, the 4-cyl 40 hp used on the ''Demoiselle'', a 4-cyl 100 hp used on 'Hanriot Etrich' monoplanes, and a V8 200 hp airship engine.][
In 1910, the Clément-Bayard Monoplane No. 1 was introduced at the Paris show.][
By 1912, Clément-Bayard built a biplane plus three different models of horizontally opposed aircraft engines.][Aero engines – Clément-Bayard](_blank)
/ref>
In November 1912, The Clément-Bayard Monoplane No. 5 was introduced. It was powered by a Gnome
A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...
rotary engine which had 7 cylinders and produced . The pilot sat in an aluminium and leather tub.[
In 1913, a three-seater biplane was introduced as part of the military project, the Clément-Bayard No. 6. It was configured for two observers in front of the pilot, and was powered by either a 4-cyl Clément-Bayard or 4-cylinder Gnome engine.][
In 1914, Clément-Bayard produced a steel scouting monoplane powered by either an motor or a Gnome et Rhône engine. The nickel steel armour was designed for protection against rifle fire.][Flight archives, 1914, p. 265 – Clément-Bayard](_blank)
/ref>
/ref>
Airship manufacture
In 1908, Astra Clément-Bayard began manufacturing airships at a new factory in La Motte-Breuil in response to a French Army decision to commence airship operations.
The Clément-Bayard No.1 airship was offered to the French government but was too expensive so it was bought by Tsar Nicholas II for the Russian army.
In 1910, the Clément-Bayard No.2 __NOTOC__
The Clément-Bayard No.2 was a French military airship of 1910, developed by automobile manufacturer Clément-Bayard. Unlike their Clément-Bayard No.1, previous design, this aircraft was designed and built entirely by the firm itself. ...
, piloted by Maurice Clément-Bayard, was the first airship to cross the Channel, travelling over 380 km in 6 hours. The army ordered 3 copies.
The airship hangar in La Motte-Breuil is still maintained by Clément-Talbot Ltd.
Clément-Bayard dirigibles
Seven Clément-Bayard airships were completed.
* Clément-Bayard No.1 was 56.25 metres long, 10.58 metres wide, 3,500 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 115 cv engines. First flew on 28 October 1908.[
* N° 2 was 76.50 metres long, 13.22 metres wide, 7,000 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 120 cv engines. Top speed 54 km/h. First flew on 1 June 1910.][
* N° 3 Dupuy de Lôme, 89 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, 9,000 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 120 cv engines. First flew on 1 May 1912.][
* N° 4 Adjudant Vincenot, 88.5 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, 9,800 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 120 cv engines. Top speed 49 km/h. First flew in 1911.][
* Adj Vincenot modified, 87.3 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, 9,800 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 120 cv engines. Top speed 53 km/h. First flew on 13 August 1913.][
* N° 5 livré à la Russie, 86 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, 9,600 m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 130 cv engines. First flew on 9 February 1913.][
* Montgolfier, 73.5 metres long, 12.2 metres wide, 6,500m3, powered by 2 Clément-Bayard 90 cv engines. Top speed 60 km/h. First flew on 31 July 1913.][
]
Factories used by Adolphe Clément-Bayard
* In September 1879, Clément built an iron smelter in Tulle
Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...
, in the Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
where there was a good supply of water power, but he did not have sufficient finance to make it viable and Tulle was too remote from Paris, so he had to sell the plant.[
* In 1880 he moved his small cycle business and established the "Clément" cycle manufacturing business at 20 Rue Brunel, Place de l'Étoile, in central Paris, where 150 employees built bicycles.][
* The Gladiator Cycle Company built bicycles at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais in north east Paris.][
* In 1894, he started construction work on a former military site in the Faubourg Saint-Julien at Mézières, to build a new factory, which would become known as ''La Macérienne''. Clément personally supervised the work remotely using photographs taken every day and visiting the site once a week. By 1897 it was producing components and spokes for the Gladiator Cycle Company. It covered 15,000 m2 and using a hydraulic turbine power plant, a steam room, large machine hall, a foundry, a workshop for the nickel processing, the operation with the manufacturing of nuts and spokes on a bike. The factory building still exists but in the spring of 2006 it was transformed into a cultural center.]
* After World War I, Maurice Clément-Bayard undertook to rescue ''La Macérienne'' from the physical, social and commercial ravages of war. He visited the United States and by 1925 had a contract to manufacture for the 'Allied Machinery Company' (Almacoa hoists and Cletrac tractors). By 1928, it produced Almacoa excavators, tractors and forklifts, plus Cletrac crawler tractors were exclusive to Clement-Bayard for Europe and North Africa.[
* Clément-Bayard was situated at the Boulevard de la Saussaye 57 in Neuilly in west Paris. Between 1899 and 1922, three wheelers and cars were built there.][Motorbase, Clément](_blank)
/ref>
* Shortly after the purchase of Gladiator cycles in 1896 Adolphe Clément began to build the new factory at Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...
in north west Paris. This produced cycles and various cars from 1898, (Clément-Panhard, Clément-Gladiator from 1901, Clément-Bayard from 1903), and went on to build various Citroën models including the Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV (, , lit. "two horses", meaning "two Tax horsepower#France, ''taxable'' horsepower") is an economy car produced by the French company Citroën from 1948 to 1990. Introduced at the 1948 Paris Paris Auto Show, Salon de l'Automobi ...
for nearly forty years from 1948 to 1988. From August 1914 it was dedicated to wartime production.
* On 11 October 1902, Clément-Talbot was formally incorporated, and subsequently of land was purchased for a new factory in Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.
It is also the name of the sur ...
, North Kensington in west London, between the Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
line and the 'Edinburgh road' before it was renamed 'Barlby road'. The factory was a high status operation whose brick workshops used the latest saw-tooth roof line, glazed to maximise natural light. It was equipped with the most modern machine tools and the reception area was laid out like a miniature palace, marble Ionic order
The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...
, gilded fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
es and stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows etched with the Shrewsbury coat of arms. It is now known as 'Ladbroke Hall'.[
* In 1908, 'Astra Clément-Bayard' began manufacturing airships at a new factory in La Motte-Breuil.]
* In 1911, Adolphe built a pottery factory at Pierrefoids.[
]
Dreyfus affair
The Dreyfus affair split France at the end of the 19th century over the guilt or innocence of a soldier, Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a major political crisis in the Fre ...
, who had been convicted of selling secrets to the Germans. In 1900, Clément-Bayard was one of the leading ''anti-Dreyfusard'' industrialists, along with comte Jules-Albert de Dion
Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne (; 9 March 185619 August 1946) was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was ...
, who cancelled all advertising in the ''Dreyfusard'' newspaper ''Le Vélo
''Le Vélo'' was the leading French sports newspaper from its inception on 1 December 1892 until it ceased publication in 1904. Mixing sports reporting with news and political comment, it achieved a circulation of 80,000 copies a day. Its use o ...
'' and started a rival daily sports paper, '' L'Auto-Velo''. The roots of both the Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
cycle race and L'Équipe
''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, '' ...
newspaper, result from Clément's hostile ''anti-Dreyfusard'' stance.[ The Dreyfus affair was eventually concluded with the official exoneration of Dreyfus (as an innocent person who had been framed). With the end of official inquiries, it may be said that Clément-Bayard and de Dion had been wrong for a decade.
]
War activity
By 1910, Clément-Bayard vociferously warned of Germany's warlike ambitions, and in 1912, he was assaulted by a hostile German mob. Thus, when Germany invaded France, he was a marked man. In September 1914, the Germans reached the outskirts of Pierrefonds and shelled the ''Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt'', although by then, it was being looked after by Carlo Bugatti, the Art Nouveau furniture and jewellery designer and father of Ettore Bugatti, who also lived in the town. Clément remained in Paris with his family.
Clément ceded control of Clément-Bayard to his son Maurice in 1914 before the start of the war, but the consequences for the company were disastrous. The ''La Macérienne'' factory at Mézières was lost to the Germans in the opening weeks, as were his home, mayoral town and factories at Pierrefonds. The industrial machinery was shipped back to Germany, and the forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
s, foundries and smelter
Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zin ...
were destroyed. ''La Macérienne'' was gutted and used as an indoor riding school for German officers.
Automobile production at Levallois-Perret in Paris was suspended in August 1914, and the factory was turned over to war production, military equipment and military vehicles, aero engines, airships and planes.[
]
Bank of Ardennes
In 1922, Clément-Bayard was appointed director and vice-president of the new Bank of Ardennes, which was established in Charleville on 12 April 1922.[
]
Honours, death and commemoration
In 1912, Clément-Bayard was appointed a Commander of the Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
.
In 1928, he died of a heart attack while driving to a meeting of a 'Board of Directors' in Paris.
His tomb is located at the ''Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt d'Adolphe Clément-Bayard'' at Pierrefonds, which has been a protected Historic Monument since 2004.[
The rue Clément-Bayard runs through the centre of ]Pierrefonds, Oise
Pierrefonds () is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, French department of Oise, Hauts-de-France, northern France, known for its Château de Pierrefonds.
History
The lords of Pierrefonds in the Middle Ages were:
* (1047� ...
.
In 2005, a 50 CHF gold coin was minted to commemorate the centenary of the Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...
, with the theme "Clément 1905"
See also
* Société Astra (Société Astra des Constructions Aéronautiques)
* Arthur Constantin Krebs
Notes
a. By 1896, the title of Humber cycles had been acquired by entrepreneur and fraudster Harry Lawson. The cycle factory of Thomas Humber at Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Beeston () is a town in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England, it is 3 miles south-west of Nottingham. To its north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, Campuses of the University of Nottingham#University Park Campus, ...
started adding the soubriquet 'Genuine Humber' to its logo.
References
Gallery
Pdf about Adolphe Clément-Bayard, (French) containing 95 images, posters and diagrams of cycles, cars, planes, airships, houses and factories.
Flickr, Description and image of Clément-Talbot works
at Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.
It is also the name of the sur ...
Internal image of 'Ladbroke Hall', once the Clément-Talbot works at Ladbroke Grove
External links
Gazoline (in French). Clément type AC 2L Bayard: A L'OMBRE DU CHEVALIER BAYARD
''Image and description of 1880 Clément cycle''
Gallery of images of Clément-Bayard airships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement-Bayard, Adolphe
1855 births
1928 deaths
People from Oise
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France
Vintage vehicles
French automotive pioneers
French automobile designers
History of aviation
French founders of automobile manufacturers
Commanders of the Legion of Honour