Gustave Adolphe Clément began manufacturing bicycles in 1894 and made a fortune in the bicycle and pneumatic tire industry in the late 19th century. In 1903, the factory built their first automobiles, with emphasis on racing cars in 1904. They were active in the Circuit des Ardennes des Voiturettes and the Vanderbilt Cup, among others, through 1908, and several years later moved to the burgeoning field of aircraft.

Test flights began in 1908, and the factory was soon manufacturing airships followed in 1909 by the licensed manufacture of Wright engines along with their own. In 1914, the factory was seized by the Germans, automobile production ceased and the factory was turned over to full war production. In 1922, the company was broken up and the factory taken over by Citroën.

Clément chassis 17976 is affectionately referred to as “Mr. Magoo,” a moniker emphasized by the thick lenses of the large acetylene-powered Bleriot headlamps. The car shows considerable resemblance to the design of Renault’s dashboard, “coal scuttle” hood, and engine configuration from the same period. For a voiturette there is considerable interior room and good weather protection. This circa 1912 Clément is powered by a four-cylinder engine believed to displace 1,400 cc.

After the car was purchased in 2003 by Don and Laurie Larson, original sales and service brochures were located in an effort to complete a period-correct restoration. The resulting work shows very well, and the car is resplendent in red with a black interior and top. The Larsons reluctantly parted with their Clément-Bayard in 2012, at which time it was acquired by the Mullin Collection.

*Please note that all of the Lots in this Auction have been in long-term static storage at the Mullin Automotive Museum and may not be currently operational. They will require mechanical attention and in some cases significant restoration prior to any road use.

*Please note that this vehicle's model year is circa 1912.