Adolphe Clément was one of the great entrepreneurs of the early French bicycle and automobile industries.

Born in 1855, he was orphaned at an early age.

His guardian apprenticed him to a grocer, but young Adolphe was not so easily satisfied.

Finding work in a machine shop, he bought a new bicycle and commenced racing it with great success.

He opened a bicycle shop, started a racing school for cyclists, and finally began to manufacture cycles in Paris under the name Société Anonyme des Vélocipèdes Clément in 1895.

They found a ready market, and a year later he merged the company into Alexandre Darracq’s to form Clément, Gladiator & Humber (France) Ltd.

Clément’s first car, called “Clément-Panhard,” was designed by Arthur C.

Krebs and built in 1897 in Paris.

By 1901 Clément was building front-engined light cars of 7, 8, and 12 hp, the latter a four-cylinder vehicle with shaft drive.

For 1903 there was a 16 hp model with overhead intake valves.

Later that year the name was amend...