Clément-Bayard
Encyclopedia
Clément-Bayard was a French
manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard (née Adolphe Clément). The name celebrated the 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.
From 1903 Clément-Bayard automobiles were built in a 'state of the art' factory at Mézières
, known as La Macérienne, which Clément had designed in 1894 mainly for building bicycles.
Aircraft test flights began in 1908 and Louis Capazza
's 'planeur (glider) Clément-Bayard' was unveiled in L'Aérophile
on 15 May 1908. Clément-Bayard also built Alberto Santos-Dumont
's Demoiselle No 19
monoplane that he had designed to compete for the Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon
prize from the Aéro-Club de France
. It was the world's first series production aircraft and by 1909 Clement-Bayard had the license to manufacture Wright engines alongside their own design.
In 1908 'Astra Clément-Bayard' began manufacturing airships at a new factory in La Motte-Breuil
.
In 1914 the factory La Macérienne at Mézières was seized by the advancing German army and automobile production in Levallois-Perret, Paris, was suspended as the factory was turned over to war production, military equipment and military vehicles, aero engines, airships and planes.
In 1922 the company was broken up and the factory in Paris was taken over by Citroën
.
Circa 1909 Adolphe Clément received permission from the Conseil d'État to change his name to Adolphe Clément-Bayard.
In 1896 Adolphe Clément was associated with Lord Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury
and (yet to be convicted) fraudster Harry John Lawson
of the British Automobile Commercial Syndicate Ltd. They bought the Gladiator Cycle Company
, a French manufacturer of bicycles which had been founded by Alexandre Darracq
and Paul Aucoq in 1891 at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
in north east Paris. They then merged the Gladiator Cycle Company into a major bicycle manufacturing conglomerate of Clément, Gladiator & Humber (France) Ltd. In 1897 BACS was the first of many of Lawson's ventures to collapse, but Clément remained a director of 'Clément- Gladiator'. The range was expanded, and in 1902 a motorised bicycle led to cars and motorcycles.(See Clément Gladiator cycles for further details)
Clément-Gladiator was divided in 1903, such that Lord Charles Chetwynd-Talbot founded the English arm "Clément-Talbot Ltd" with Clément's financial backing, and in parallel Clément also formed Clément-Bayard at Mézières (now Charleville-Mézières
). He chose the name Bayard in commemoration of the 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. Initially, Clément-Bayard cars were imported to Britain under the Talbot
brand.
From 1904 Clément-Bayard production at Levallois-Perret increased from 1,800 cars per annum to 3,000 in 1907, employing up to 4,000 workers. The range included several models, all luxurious and high quality, from a small two-seater twin-cylinder 8-10 hp to a big four cylinder 50-60 hp model that could exceed 60 km/h.
In 1907 the 10/12 hp model was introduced with a unitary gearbox and a dashboard radiator.
In 1910 Clément-Bayard started to manufacture a stylish, low cost, small, two-seater roadster, with a 4-cylinder 10/12 hp, and a heater for the driver and passenger. It was very popular and production continued until the outbreak of war in 1914.
By 1913 the factories of Levallois and Mezieres were focused on the production of a wide range of products including car chassis, car bodies, cars, trucks, airships, airplanes, motors, canoes, bicycles, engines and generators.
On the front page of the 15 November 1913 edition of the Revue de l’industrie automobile et aéronautique (Review for Automotive and Aerospace Industry) Clément-Bayard announced a new 4 cylinder 30-40 Hp motor.
By early 1914 Clément-Bayard had a complete range of twelve models, from two to six seats, equipped with engines ranging from a small 7 hp twin cylinder for less than 7000 francs to a big 6 cylinder 30 Hp unit. Additionally there was a 20 Hp four cylinder 'valveless' (Sleeve valve
) Knight
engine which was licensed from Panhard et Levassor
.
In 1914 the factory La Macérienne at Mézières was seized by the advancing German army and automobile manufacture in Levallois-Perret, Paris, was suspended as the factory was turned over to war production: military equipment; military vehicles; aero engines; airships; and planes.
After World War I
motor production resumed with an 8 hp (6 kW) and a 17.6 hp (13.1 kW) model.
, Jacques Guders, Rene Hanriot, Marc-Philippe Villemain, 'Carlès', "De la Touloubre" and A. Villemain, and Pierre Garcets.
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. Clement finished the 6 lap, 532.79 km event in 7 hours 10 minutes 52.8 seconds. His team-mates Jacques Guders and Rene Hanriot failed to complete a single lap.
Albert Clément won the II Circuit des Ardennes des Voiturettes on 24 July 1904 at Bastogne
. He completed the 5 lap 240.010 km race in 4h 26m 52.6seconds at an average speed of 53.91 kph in an 18Hp Clement -(Bayard?) (car no 5). He also set the fastest lap of the race at 45minutes 02seconds (63.89 km/h).
Clément drove his Clement-Bayard into third place at the III Circuit des Ardennes race at Bastogne, on 25 July 1904. He completed the 5 lap, 591.255 km event in 6 hours 34 minutes 43.2 seconds. His team-mates Jacques Guders and Rene Hanriot both abandoned after four laps.
Clément finished second at the 1904 I.W.K. Vanderbilt Cup Race on Long Island
on 8 October 1904. He led lap 8 of the ten lap race and finished the 457.686 km event in 5 hours 28 minutes 13 seconds.
on 16 June. This was a qualifier for the Coupe Internationale (Gordon Bennett Race). Clement's team-mate Rene Hanriot finished tenth in 8 hours 23 minutes 39.6s but failed to qualify, whilst Marc-Philippe Villemain retired after three laps.
At the 1905 Vanderbilt cup on Long Island Clément drove an 80-hp Clément-Bayard (France #12) but suffered reliability problems.
Clément retired his Clement-Bayard after the first 166km lap of the II Coppa Florio at Brescia
Italy on 4 September 1905. His team-mate 'Carlès' retired after 2 laps.
at Le Mans
where Clément finished third in his 100Hp machine. He completed the 1,238km event in 12 hours 49 minutes 46.2seconds. Clément led the race at the end of laps 2 and 5 on the second day. Punctures were common and tyre manufacturer Michelin
introduced a detachable rim with a tyre already affixed, which could be swapped in about 4 minutes car after a puncture, saving 11 minutes over manually replacing the tyre. These wheels were used by Felice Nazzaro
on his FIAT
enabling him to wrest second place from Clément on the second day. His father Adolphe was the owner of Dunlop France. Clement's team-mates "De la Touloubre" and A. Villemain retired their 100Hp models after 3 and 5 laps respectively.
Clément finished 6th in the V Circuit des Ardennes on 13 August 1906 at Bastogne. He completed the 7 lap 961km race in 6 hours 2 minutes 55.2 seconds in a 100Hp Clement-Bayard. His team-mates A. Villemain and Pierre Garcet finished 11th and 12th.
At the 1906 Vanderbilt cup Clément finished 4th driving a 100 hp Clément-Bayard (France #15) and completing the ten laps averaging 59 mi/h.
on 17 May. Of the 3 other Clément-Bayard entries, Pierre Garcet and Elliott Shepard, finished 7th and eighth respectively. Clément's car was entered by 'Alezy' who retired after 4 laps.
which had 12,963 cc six-cylinder overhead camshaft, and Victor Rigal finished 4th.
.
The company worked with Louis Capazza
to produce the 'planeur (glider) Bayard-Clément' that was unveiled in L'Aérophile
on 15 May 1908.
The company also started working with Alberto Santos-Dumont
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 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, Clement 20 hp; Wright 4-cyl 30 hp (Clement-Bayard had the license to manufacture Wright engines); and Clement-Bayard 40 hp designed by Pierre Clerget. It achieved 120 km/h.
Pierre Clerget designed a range of Clement-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 Clement-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.
In November 1912 the Clement-Bayard Monoplane No. 5 was introduced. It was powered by a Gnome 7 cylinder rotary engine producing 70 hp. The pilot sat in an aluminium and leather tub.
In 1913 a three-seater biplane was introduced as part of the military project, the Clement-Bayard No. 6. It was configured for two observers in front of the pilot, and was powered by either a 4-cyl 100 hp Clement-Bayard or 4-cylinder Gnome engine.
In 1914 Clément-Bayard produced a steel scouting monoplane powered by either an 80 hp motor or a 100 hp Gnome et Rhône
engine. The nickel steel armour was designed for protection against rifle fire.
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
, piloted by Maurice Clément, 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.
s, foundries
and smelter
were destroyed. The gutted building was 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.
, in whom Adolphe Clément also invested financially, and the factory at Levallois-Perret became the centre of 2CV
manufacturing for the next 40 years.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard (née Adolphe Clément). The name celebrated the Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
Pierre Terrail LeVieux, seigneur de Bayard was a French soldier, generally known as the Chevalier de Bayard. Throughout the centuries since his death, he has been known as "the knight without fear and beyond reproach"...
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.
From 1903 Clément-Bayard automobiles were built in a 'state of the art' factory at Mézières
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:...
, known as La Macérienne, which Clément had designed in 1894 mainly for building bicycles.
Aircraft test flights began in 1908 and Louis Capazza
Louis Capazza
Louis Henri Capazza was a French semi-professional balloonist. He was born in Bastia, Corsica on January 17, 1862. He lived in Belgium from 1892-1898 then emigrated to the USA in about 1920...
's 'planeur (glider) Clément-Bayard' was unveiled in L'Aérophile
L'Aérophile
L’Aérophile 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 run for many years by Georges Besançon...
on 15 May 1908. Clément-Bayard also built Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
's Demoiselle No 19
Santos-Dumont Demoiselle
-External links:...
monoplane that he had designed to compete for the Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon
Ernest Archdeacon
Ernest Archdeacon , was a prominent French lawyer of Irish descent who was associated with pioneering aviation in France before the First World War. He made his first balloon flight at the age of 20. He commissioned a copy of the 1902 Wright No. 3 glider but had only limited success...
prize from the Aéro-Club de France
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France 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 Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de...
. It was the world's first series production aircraft and by 1909 Clement-Bayard had the license to manufacture Wright engines alongside their own design.
In 1908 'Astra Clément-Bayard' began manufacturing airships at a new factory in La Motte-Breuil
Trosly-Breuil
Trosly-Breuil is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
.
In 1914 the factory La Macérienne at Mézières was seized by the advancing German army and automobile production in Levallois-Perret, Paris, was suspended as the factory was turned over to war production, military equipment and military vehicles, aero engines, airships and planes.
In 1922 the company was broken up and the factory in Paris was taken over by Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
.
Circa 1909 Adolphe Clément received permission from the Conseil d'État to change his name to Adolphe Clément-Bayard.
Motor manufacturing
- For the motor manufacturers Clément-Gladiator, Clément-Panhard, Clément-Stirling, Clément-Talbot, Diatto-Clément, and Clément - See Adolphe Clément-Bayard.
In 1896 Adolphe Clément was associated with Lord Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury
Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury
Major Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford, 5th Earl Talbot , was a British peer.Talbot was the only son and heir of the Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury...
and (yet to be convicted) fraudster Harry John Lawson
Harry John Lawson
Henry John Lawson, also known as Harry Lawson, was a British bicycle designer, motor industry pioneer, and fraudster. As part of his attempt to create and control a British motor industry Lawson formed and floated The Daimler Motor Company Limited in London in 1896. It later began manufacture in...
of the British Automobile Commercial Syndicate Ltd. They bought the Gladiator Cycle Company
Gladiator Cycle Company
The Gladiator Cycle Company was a French manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine.Throughout its productive life from 1891 until its demise in 1920 the company was variously owned by the founders Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq; from 1896 by Adolphe...
, a French manufacturer of bicycles which had been founded by Alexandre Darracq
Alexandre Darracq
Alexandre Darracq was a French automobile manufacturer.Born Pierre Alexandre Darracq in Bordeaux, France, of Basque parents, he trained as a draftsman at the Arsenal in Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées département...
and Paul Aucoq in 1891 at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 23,396 inhabitants per square kilometres at the last French census of 1999, Le Pré-Saint-Gervais is officially the most densely populated municipality in...
in north east Paris. They then merged the Gladiator Cycle Company into a major bicycle manufacturing conglomerate of Clément, Gladiator & Humber (France) Ltd. In 1897 BACS was the first of many of Lawson's ventures to collapse, but Clément remained a director of 'Clément- Gladiator'. The range was expanded, and in 1902 a motorised bicycle led to cars and motorcycles.(See Clément Gladiator cycles for further details)
Clément-Gladiator was divided in 1903, such that Lord Charles Chetwynd-Talbot founded the English arm "Clément-Talbot Ltd" with Clément's financial backing, and in parallel Clément also formed Clément-Bayard at Mézières (now Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:...
). He chose the name Bayard in commemoration of the Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
Pierre Terrail LeVieux, seigneur de Bayard was a French soldier, generally known as the Chevalier de Bayard. Throughout the centuries since his death, he has been known as "the knight without fear and beyond reproach"...
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. Initially, Clément-Bayard cars were imported to Britain under the Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
brand.
Models
The initial model range comprised three models (9Hp, 12Hp, 16Hp) and was enhanced in 1904 with a 6Hp single cylinder, a 7Hp twin cylinder, and 14Hp, 20Hp & 27Hp 4-cylinders.From 1904 Clément-Bayard production at Levallois-Perret increased from 1,800 cars per annum to 3,000 in 1907, employing up to 4,000 workers. The range included several models, all luxurious and high quality, from a small two-seater twin-cylinder 8-10 hp to a big four cylinder 50-60 hp model that could exceed 60 km/h.
In 1907 the 10/12 hp model was introduced with a unitary gearbox and a dashboard radiator.
In 1910 Clément-Bayard started to manufacture a stylish, low cost, small, two-seater roadster, with a 4-cylinder 10/12 hp, and a heater for the driver and passenger. It was very popular and production continued until the outbreak of war in 1914.
By 1913 the factories of Levallois and Mezieres were focused on the production of a wide range of products including car chassis, car bodies, cars, trucks, airships, airplanes, motors, canoes, bicycles, engines and generators.
On the front page of the 15 November 1913 edition of the Revue de l’industrie automobile et aéronautique (Review for Automotive and Aerospace Industry) Clément-Bayard announced a new 4 cylinder 30-40 Hp motor.
By early 1914 Clément-Bayard had a complete range of twelve models, from two to six seats, equipped with engines ranging from a small 7 hp twin cylinder for less than 7000 francs to a big 6 cylinder 30 Hp unit. Additionally there was a 20 Hp four cylinder 'valveless' (Sleeve valve
Sleeve valve
The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve-valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in USA in the Willys-Knight car and light truck...
) Knight
Knight Engine
The Knight Engine was an internal combustion engine, designed by American Charles Yale Knight , that used sleeve valves instead of the more common poppet valve construction.- History :...
engine which was licensed from Panhard et Levassor
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
.
In 1914 the factory La Macérienne at Mézières was seized by the advancing German army and automobile manufacture in Levallois-Perret, Paris, was suspended as the factory was turned over to war production: military equipment; military vehicles; aero engines; airships; and planes.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
motor production resumed with an 8 hp (6 kW) and a 17.6 hp (13.1 kW) model.
Motor racing
Clément-Bayard started building automobiles in 1903 and then started building racing cars in 1904. The racing team included Albert ClémentAlbert Clément
Albert Clément was a French motor racing driver. In 1904 he won the II Ardennes Cup race and finished third in the III Ardennes Cup race at Bastogne. He also finished second in the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island. In 1906 he finished third in the inaugural French Grand Prix and 4th in the...
, Jacques Guders, Rene Hanriot, Marc-Philippe Villemain, 'Carlès', "De la Touloubre" and A. Villemain, and Pierre Garcets.
1904 season
Albert Clément finished 10th at the I Eliminatoires Françaises de la Coupe Internationale, held at the Forest of ArgonneForest of Argonne
The Forest of Argonne is a long strip of rocky mountain and wild woodland in north-eastern France.In 1792 Charles François Dumouriez outmaneuvered the invading forces of the Duke of Brunswick in the forest before the Battle of Valmy....
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. Clement finished the 6 lap, 532.79 km event in 7 hours 10 minutes 52.8 seconds. His team-mates Jacques Guders and Rene Hanriot failed to complete a single lap.
Albert Clément won the II Circuit des Ardennes des Voiturettes on 24 July 1904 at Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
. He completed the 5 lap 240.010 km race in 4h 26m 52.6seconds at an average speed of 53.91 kph in an 18Hp Clement -(Bayard?) (car no 5). He also set the fastest lap of the race at 45minutes 02seconds (63.89 km/h).
Clément drove his Clement-Bayard into third place at the III Circuit des Ardennes race at Bastogne, on 25 July 1904. He completed the 5 lap, 591.255 km event in 6 hours 34 minutes 43.2 seconds. His team-mates Jacques Guders and Rene Hanriot both abandoned after four laps.
Clément finished second at the 1904 I.W.K. Vanderbilt Cup Race on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
on 8 October 1904. He led lap 8 of the ten lap race and finished the 457.686 km event in 5 hours 28 minutes 13 seconds.
1905 season
Albert Clément retired his Clement-Bayard with overheating after 1 lap of the II Eliminatoires Françaises de la Coupe Internationale at the AuvergneAuvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
on 16 June. This was a qualifier for the Coupe Internationale (Gordon Bennett Race). Clement's team-mate Rene Hanriot finished tenth in 8 hours 23 minutes 39.6s but failed to qualify, whilst Marc-Philippe Villemain retired after three laps.
At the 1905 Vanderbilt cup on Long Island Clément drove an 80-hp Clément-Bayard (France #12) but suffered reliability problems.
Clément retired his Clement-Bayard after the first 166km lap of the II Coppa Florio at Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
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 Prix1906 French Grand Prix
The 1906 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France, commonly known as the 1906 French Grand Prix, was a motor race held on 26 and 27 June 1906, on closed public roads outside the city of Le Mans...
at Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
where Clément finished third in his 100Hp machine. He completed the 1,238km event in 12 hours 49 minutes 46.2seconds. Clément led the race at the end of laps 2 and 5 on the second day. Punctures were common and tyre manufacturer Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
introduced a detachable rim with a tyre already affixed, which could be swapped in about 4 minutes car after a puncture, saving 11 minutes over manually replacing the tyre. These wheels were used by Felice Nazzaro
Felice Nazzaro
Felice Nazzaro was an Italian racecar driver, a native of Turin. He won the Kaiserpreis in 1907 as well as the French Grand Prix in 1907 and 1922 and Targa Florio in 1907 and 1913. His European wins in 1907 resulted in an invitation to compete in the 1908 American Grand Prize in Savannah, Georgia,...
on his FIAT
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
enabling him to wrest second place from Clément on the second day. His father Adolphe was the owner of Dunlop France. Clement's team-mates "De la Touloubre" and A. Villemain retired their 100Hp models after 3 and 5 laps respectively.
Clément finished 6th in the V Circuit des Ardennes on 13 August 1906 at Bastogne. He completed the 7 lap 961km race in 6 hours 2 minutes 55.2 seconds in a 100Hp Clement-Bayard. His team-mates A. Villemain and Pierre Garcet finished 11th and 12th.
At the 1906 Vanderbilt cup Clément finished 4th driving a 100 hp Clément-Bayard (France #15) and completing the ten laps averaging 59 mi/h.
1907 season
Albert Clément died while practising for the 1907 French Grand Prix1907 French Grand Prix
The 1907 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 2 July 1907.-The Race:38 cars set off at one minute intervals to complete 10 laps of a circuit on a triangular circuit near the city of Dieppe. The field was led away by Vincenzo Lancia's Fiat.The race was run under a 9.4 mpg...
on 17 May. Of the 3 other Clément-Bayard entries, Pierre Garcet and Elliott Shepard, finished 7th and eighth respectively. Clément's car was entered by 'Alezy' who retired after 4 laps.
1908 season
The company entered 3 cars for the 1908 French Grand Prix1908 French Grand Prix
The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 7 July 1908.-Formula Changes:The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907...
which had 12,963 cc six-cylinder overhead camshaft, and Victor Rigal finished 4th.
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 AutomobileTour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile was a sports car race held on roads around France, first held in 1899 at speeds of 30 mph . The first event was won by René de Knyff driving a Panhard et Levassor...
.
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
Louis Capazza
Louis Henri Capazza was a French semi-professional balloonist. He was born in Bastia, Corsica on January 17, 1862. He lived in Belgium from 1892-1898 then emigrated to the USA in about 1920...
to produce the 'planeur (glider) Bayard-Clément' that was unveiled in L'Aérophile
L'Aérophile
L’Aérophile 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 run for many years by Georges Besançon...
on 15 May 1908.
The company also started working with Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
in 1908 to build his Demoiselle No 19
Santos-Dumont Demoiselle
-External links:...
monoplane that he had designed to compete for the Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon
Ernest Archdeacon
Ernest Archdeacon , was a prominent French lawyer of Irish descent who was associated with pioneering aviation in France before the First World War. He made his first balloon flight at the age of 20. He commissioned a copy of the 1902 Wright No. 3 glider but had only limited success...
prize from the Aéro-Club de France
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France 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 Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de...
. 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, Clement 20 hp; Wright 4-cyl 30 hp (Clement-Bayard had the license to manufacture Wright engines); and Clement-Bayard 40 hp designed by Pierre Clerget. It achieved 120 km/h.
Pierre Clerget designed a range of Clement-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 Clement-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.
In November 1912 the Clement-Bayard Monoplane No. 5 was introduced. It was powered by a Gnome 7 cylinder rotary engine producing 70 hp. The pilot sat in an aluminium and leather tub.
In 1913 a three-seater biplane was introduced as part of the military project, the Clement-Bayard No. 6. It was configured for two observers in front of the pilot, and was powered by either a 4-cyl 100 hp Clement-Bayard or 4-cylinder Gnome engine.
In 1914 Clément-Bayard produced a steel scouting monoplane powered by either an 80 hp motor or a 100 hp Gnome et Rhône
Gnome et Rhône
Gnome et Rhône was a major French aircraft engine manufacturer. Between 1914 and 1918 they produced 25,000 of their 9-cylinder Delta and Le Rhône 110 hp rotary designs, while another 75,000 were produced by various licensees, powering the majority of aircraft in the first half of the war on...
engine. The nickel steel armour was designed for protection against rifle fire.
Airship manufacture
Trosly-Breuil
Trosly-Breuil is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
in response to a French Army decision to commence airship operations.
The Clément-Bayard No.1
Clément-Bayard No.1
right|thumb|300px|The "Adjudant Vincenot" circa 1910. Caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] magazine 1910right|thumb|300px|The "Adjudant Vincenot" circa 1910. Caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] magazine 1910...
airship was offered to the French government but was too expensive so it was bought by Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
for the Russian army.
In 1910 the Clément-Bayard No.2
Clément-Bayard No.2
|-References:*...
, piloted by Maurice Clément, 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.- N° 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, 6,500 m3, powered by 2 Clément Bayard 90 cv engines. Top speed 60 km/h. First flew on 31 July 1913.
Factories used by Clément-Bayard
- In 1894 he started construction work on a former military site in the Faubourg Saint-Julian 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.
- Clement-Bayard Automobiles 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.
- Shortly after the purchase of Gladiator cycles in 1896 Adolfe Clément began to build the new factory at Levallois-PerretLevallois-PerretLevallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...
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 2CVCitroën 2CVThe Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...
for nearly forty years from 1948-1988. From August 1914 it was dedicated to wartime production.
- In 1908 'Astra Clément-Bayard' began manufacturing airships at a new factory in La Motte-BreuilTrosly-BreuilTrosly-Breuil is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
.
War activity
Adolphe Clément ceded control of Clément-Bayard to his son Maurice in early 1914, but the consequences of World War I for the company were disastrous. The La Macérienne factory at Mézières was lost to the Germans, the machinery was shipped back to Germany, and the forgeForge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
s, foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and smelter
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
were destroyed. The gutted building was 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.
Demise
In 1922 the Clément-Bayard automobile company was sold to André CitroënAndré Citroën
André-Gustave Citroën was a French industrialist. He is remembered chiefly for the make of car named after him, but also for his application of double helical gears.- Life and career :...
, in whom Adolphe Clément also invested financially, and the factory at Levallois-Perret became the centre of 2CV
Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...
manufacturing for the next 40 years.