In 1896 Adolphe Clément who held the extremely profitable manufacturing rights for Dunlop tyres in France joined with a syndicate led by Dunlop's founder Harvey Du Cros to buy out the Gladiator Cycle Company and they merged it into a major bicycle manufacturing conglomerate of Clément, Gladiator & Humber & Co Limited. The range was expanded, and in 1902 a motorised bicycle led to cars and motorcycles.(See Clément Gladiator cycles for further details)
Clément 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.
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.
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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.
Clément-Bayard 20 CV
Clément-Bayard 24 CV
Clément-Bayard 30 CV
Clément-Bayard 35/45 CV
Clément-Bayard 60 CV
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 manufactured the world's first series production aircraft.
The company worked with Louis Capazza to produce the 'planeur (glider) Bayard-Clément' which 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. Jean Chassagne who was working on the development and testing, participating successfully in variety of early aviation challenges winning endurance, altitude and speed prizes.
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 (52 kW). 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 (75 kW) Clement-Bayard or 4-cylinder Gnome engine.
In 1914 Clément-Bayard produced a steel scouting monoplane powered by either an 80 hp (60 kW) motor or a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome et Rhône engine. The nickel steel armour was designed for protection against rifle fire.
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, 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-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.
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-Perret 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 for nearly forty years from 1948 to 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-Breuil.
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