Adolphe Clément-Bayard

Gustave -Adolphe Clément, 1909 Clément- Bayard (* 1855 in Pierrefonds, France, † 1928 in Paris ) was a French engineer, inventor and industrialist. He produced tires and built bicycles, motors, motorcycles, automobiles and airships.

He is considered one of the pioneers of both the automotive and the aeronautics.

Life

Clément, son of a grocer showed very early interest in mechanics and engineering. At the age of 17, he built his first bicycle with wooden wheels before he became involved as a cyclist in the Tour de France. After completing an apprenticeship he founded in 1878 at the age of 23 years in Paris near the Place de l' Etoile, the small bicycle repair shop A. Clément & Cie. In 1889 he bought from John Boyd Dunlop, the inventor of the pneumatic tire for 50,000 francs the exclusive rights for the production and distribution of bicycle tires in France and thus justified his wealth.

He left in 1891 by the partners of his company and was planning on a 1890 in the Faubourg Saint- Julier, at the foot of the citadel of Mézières (Ardennes ) low acquired former military base to build a new factory, to be known as La Macérienne. The progress of the construction work started in 1894 Clément monitored from a distance based on photos taken daily. Once a week Clément himself went after Mézières. 1897 took over the business, which also included a foundry and a workshop for the nickel plating on a surface area of 15,000 m2 in addition to a hydraulic turbine power plant, a steam engine room and the large machine room, the operation with the manufacturing of bicycle bolts and spokes on. The factory buildings still exist. In spring 2006, a competition was held to its transformation into a cultural center.

At the same Clément joined with Lord Charles Chetwynd - Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury (Lord Talbot, 1860-1921 ), behind which the financially strong British Automobile Commercial Syndicate Ltd stood, and the French branch of " Humbert " to a group of companies together. This bought in 1896, which was founded five years earlier in front of Alexandre Darracq and AUROC prestigious French bicycle factory Société gladiator. Clément used his position as chairman of the group in order to baptize the French branch in Clément- Gladiator and the English in Clement- Talbot. With the construction of a second factory in Levallois -Perret, a western suburb of Paris, the engineer Leneveu was commissioned in 1897. There Clément built under the brand name "Gladiator " his first single-cylinder automobiles.

The group broke up in 1903. During Sir Talbot took over the company Clement- Talbot Ltd. newly established, Clément sold the licenses of its vehicles and founded his hand, a new company with a plant in the Picardie region. He gave this and from now on also its car models the double name Clément- Bayard in memory of Pierre du Terrail, Chevalier de Bayard, the knight without fear and without reproach, who in 1521 under Francis I the town of Mézières, where Clément's foundry was located against the army of Charles V. had defended. His son Albert Clément started in 1904 in the vehicles of the Father and reached the Ardennes race in 1904 and third in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup second place. In the season of 1905 he always failed due to the lack of reliability of its vehicles, but the GP of France in 1906 he was able to rank number three. When his son finally before the GP of France in 1907 was killed in Dieppe during training, the father lost interest in motor sport and the brand Clément- Bayard disappeared from the race tracks.

In 1908, Clement built his first airship and also baptized this in the name of " Clément- Bayard ." Also he built in 1908 in a collaboration with Alberto Santos -Dumont 50 copies of the Demoiselle, of which only 15 were sold. In 1909 he changed his family name of Clément Clément- Bayard on. In 1914 he retired from his business. In 1921 he joined acquaintance with André Citroën. The conviction that Citroën would make the automobile popular, prompted him to support Citroën financially and to provide him with his work in Levallois -Perret available, which was acquired in 1922 by Citroën. Also " La Macérienne " Shortly before, had been sold.

Adolphe Clément died in 1928 in Paris.

Awards

Clément- Gladiator

Shortly after the purchase of the company " Gladiator" built Adolphe Clément in the new factory in Levallois -Perret, which was demolished in 1988 to one of the workshops and the machine hall, his first car, which was moved by the rear engine Clément- Michaux, the 2 3/4HP. After that, a small car model was built 1 3/4HP with a motor of Dion Bouton. In 1899 the type was 3 1/2HP built with Panhard engine, sold by the few hundred copy and have also been used in the UK under the name of Clément- Stirling. In 1901 Adolphe Clément built cars with 2 cylinders with 9 hp and 4 -cylinder models with 12 or 16 hp.

Importer of motor vehicles by Adolphe Clément in Britain was initially the English company " Napier " and in 1902 Lord of Shrewsbury and Talbot, now president of " British Automobile Commercial Syndicate Ltd ".. This took over in 1903 the British branch of the Group, who built their own models under other brand names such as Austin or Swift.

Clément- Bayard

The emblem of the 1903 by Adolphe Clément after its exit from the group Clément- Gladiator -Humber in Trosly - Breuil (La Motte- Breuil ) at Compiègne (Oise ) newly established third factory and of future models produced there was a statue of the Chevalier Bayard. Its motto, " Without fear and without reproach " served as a slogan for the cars. In addition to the production of automobiles, the company expanded, first in collaboration with Astra Torres, from 1908 at least six airships. On November 1, 1908 put the clock at 11:15 clock in Sartrouville launched airship " Clément- Bayard " the route until after Pierrefonds and back via Paris Auteuil and a total of about 250 kilometers in 4 hours and 53 minutes back, beating the record the closed circular flight. With the airship " Clément- Bayard " N ° 2 succeeded on October 16, 1910, the first English Channel crossing. At the outbreak of the First World War, the French army had at a total stock of six airships three " Clément- Bayard " models.

1914 moved the company founder is from the company, which was acquired in 1922 by Citroën.

Clement- Talbot Ltd..

Major shareholders of the new company Clement- Talbot Ltd in the UK were Lord Talbot, Adolphe Clément, A. Lucas, and E. Lamberjack. Was drawn, the new company, which built a factory in Ladbroke Grove, west London, by DM Weigel. First cars were built, which were identical to those of the models produced in France. It was not until 1907 's models were manufactured in the UK.