Lot details
Registration No: DS 7622
Chassis No: 646C82
Mot Expiry: July 2006

Something of a motorised transport pioneer, Gustav Adolphe Clement had already amassed a small fortune via bicycle and motorcycle manufacture by the time he entered the car industry with Gladiator in 1898. Marketed as both Clement-Gladiators and Clements, the resultant voiturettes were heavily influenced by contemporary Panhard et Levassor design practice (a company in which Clement was a major shareholder). Quick to realise the publicity potential of competition, his first entry was rewarded with second place in the 1900 Paris-Rouen-Paris race. Securing the engineering services of Marius Barbarou the following year, he fielded teams for both the 1901 Paris-Berlin and 1902 Paris-Vienna races. Abandoning Gladiator in October 1903 when it was taken over by Ducros of Dunlop tyres, he signed away the rights to the 'Clement' name but reappeared soon after with the new Clement-Bayard concern (Bayard being a Chevalier who had saved the town of Mezieres - site of a Clement factory - from the Duc de Nassau in 1521). A participant in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Elimination Trials, Clement Bayard placed third in the 1906 Grand Prix (and fourth in the same event two years later). Known for the efficiency of their engines which often utilised T-heads and dual camshafts, the Mezieres-based firm supplied powerplants to speedboats and airships alike. Introduced in 1907, the new 10/12hp model was characterised by its dashboard radiator and coal-scuttle bonnet. Based around a ladder frame chassis equipped with leaf-sprung suspension and rear-wheel brakes, its four-cylinder engine and manual gearbox were mounted as a single unit (an unusual feature at the time). Progressively developed, the 10/12hp remained in production until the outbreak of World War 1.
Finished in blue with blue leather upholstery, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "good" condition with regard to its 1141cc engine, four-speed gearbox, interior trim, chassis, bodywork and wheels / tyres (though, he considers the paintwork to be "excellent"). Believed to be "the only known C.B. 10/12hp four-seat tourer in the UK", it benefits from a brass lighting set (headlamps, scuttle lamps and tail lamps), side-mounted spare wheel, 'Boa' type horn, picnic hamper, spilt windscreen and hood. The subject of an older restoration, it has apparently been dated by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. Sporting a timepiece and ignition switch to its minimalist dashboard, this rare Edwardian is offered for sale with history file (including restoration photographs etc), MOT certificate valid until July 5th 2006 and historic class (free) road tax until April 30th 2007.