Gladiator Cycle Company

Gladiator Cycle Company
Company type	Private
Industry	Bicycle, motorcycle, automobile manufacturing
Founded	1891; 135 years ago in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, France
Founder	Alexandre Darracq, Paul Aucoq
Defunct	1920
Fate	Acquired by Vinot et Deguingand in 1909; brand discontinued by 1920
Successor	Vinot et Deguingand
Headquarters	Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, France
Area served	France, United Kingdom
Key people	Adolphe Clément, Paul Ribeyrolles (general manager during WWI)
Products	Bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, armaments (WWI)
Owner	Clément, Gladiator & Humber group (from 1896), Vinot et Deguingand (from 1906)

The Gladiator Cycle Company, which adopted the name Clément-Gladiator starting in 1896, was a French producer specializing in bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles, headquartered in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine.

The firm operated between 1891 and 1920. It was initially founded by Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq, then came under the ownership of the London-listed Clément, Gladiator & Humber group from 1896. In 1901, it was renamed Société Française des Cycles Clément & Gladiator, and from 1906 ownership passed to 'Vinot et Deguingand'.

Gladiator bicycles

Established in 1891 at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, northeast of Paris, by Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq, Gladiator's original focus was on manufacturing bicycles.

In the same year, English cycle manufacturer Thomas Pullinger visited Gladiator representing Humber cycles to discuss a potential collaboration that ultimately did not come to fruition.

Clément-Gladiator bicycles

In 1896, Adolphe Clément—who controlled the profitable French manufacturing rights for Dunlop tyres—joined forces with a syndicate led by Dunlop founder Harvey Du Cros to acquire Gladiator. This acquisition merged Gladiator into a significant bicycle manufacturing group alongside Clément and Humber & Co Limited. The product lineup was broadened to include tricycles, quadricycles, motorized bicycles (from 1902), as well as automobiles and motorcycles.

Clément and Gladiator motorbikes

Starting in 1895, Clément cycles branched into motorized vehicles. By 1902, they introduced a motorized bicycle equipped with a 142 cc engine featuring an automatic inlet valve, overhead exhaust valve, and an external flywheel. The combined fuel and oil reservoir was situated behind the saddle, while batteries were housed within a leather container affixed to the frame tube. This motorization option was offered on both Clément and Gladiator bicycles. In the UK market, these were sold under the Clément-Garrard brand.

Clément-Gladiator automobiles

After the acquisition in 1896, Clément-Gladiator expanded its offerings from motorized bicycles to include cars and motorcycles by 1902.

Beginning in 1901, production of Clément-Gladiator cars took place at the Levallois-Perret facility, achieving annual outputs exceeding 1,000 vehicles by 1902. Over 800 of these were sold in England. Certain models incorporated engines supplied by Aster, a manufacturer located nearby in Saint-Denis, available in single-cylinder, twin-cylinder, or four-cylinder configurations.

In 1903, the company underwent a division: Charles Chetwynd-Talbot assumed leadership of Clément-Talbot Ltd in England with Adolphe Clément as a principal shareholder; meanwhile, the French operations were rebranded as Clément-Gladiator and also introduced the Clément-Bayard brand.

Following 1903, shaft-driven automobiles produced at the Pré-Saint-Gervais factory carried the Clément-Gladiator name, whereas chain-driven vehicles were marketed simply as Gladiators. The use of the Clément name ceased in 1907. In 1909, Vinot et Deguingand acquired Gladiator and transferred production to Puteaux; the Pré-Saint-Gervais site returned exclusively to bicycle manufacturing.

Production of the 12hp model P (also known as PS) shifted to Vinot Deguingand’s Puteaux plant in 1909 and continued until 1910. This model represented Gladiator's final automobile design prior to Vinot Deguingand's acquisition. The Gladiator name was discontinued on cars by 1920.

Wartime production

From 1915 onwards, the Pré-Saint-Gervais Gladiator facility transitioned its operations to focus on armaments manufacturing during World War I, emerging as the leading producer of the Chauchat machine rifle. The general manager, Paul Ribeyrolles, played a significant role in the development of the Chauchat as well as various other French infantry weapons throughout the conflict.

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