Mystery solved: one of three original Gladiator Paris-Berlin racers discovered

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After the Paris-Amsterdam race of 1898, the second international city to city race was organised by the Automobile Club de France in 1901. Berlin was the final goal, which was interesting from a political perspective but understandable from sportive considerations. Germany could be considered in fact to be the founding father of the French car industry, and maybe this race would help to improve the politically troubled relations between both countries. The disputed Alsace Lorraine region was avoided by passing through Luxembourg and further through Aix-la-Chapelle, Münster and Hanover. The (one way) race proved to be a success, was won by Fournier on a Mors and took place without major incidents.

A unique Paris-Berlin survivor

I wasn't aware of any survivors of this race until recently when I received a detailed report of a formerly unidentified restoration object of around 1900. This car had been rescued from a cellar around 1960 and was auctioned in 2005 as part of the Sharpe family collection. It was driven by two coupled single-cylinder water-cooled Aster engines, a system not uncommon in these years. Bugatti had used two single-cylinder engines on one of his designs working at Prinetti & Stucchi, and Vivinus (and thus their British licensee New Orleans) had used it in one of their early designs. Also, Georges Richard had used a similar system in 1901, but he had been a Vivinus licensee too and although the car looked different from the Vivinus and the engines were cooled by water instead of air, the inspiration undoubtedly came from Vivinus.

During the research of the unidentified vehicle, a remarkable similarity was found with one of the three Gladiator racers as used during this Paris-Berlin race and photographed at the start by Jules Beau. In many details the car is similar to this racer and the small differences can be explained as improvements during its further life, so I have no doubt that it is indeed one of the three participants. For the present owner, the moment of this find must have been one of true bliss! As photos of the two other cars have not emerged yet, it is difficult, however, to tell which of the three cars has survived.

Gladiator, part of the Clément-Gladiator firm, located in France but British owned at the time, had entered three vehicles in the light car section (up to 650 kgs), raced by Mercier (nr. 44), Demester (nr. 45) and Mercey (nr. 46). Only Mercey would make it to the finish (as 34th), the two others had to abandon. After the race at least one of the cars would have returned to England, as reported in The Motor-Car Journal of April 27, 1901. This car was rebuilt for road use with a tonneau body, with which it was recovered around 1960. Rebuilding racing cars for road use was common practice in these days and understandable while many of the early racers were not much different from normal road cars. The story of the car after the race is a remarkable and a tragic one as well, as told in the original auction report: “The lady from whom it was acquired explained that her brother had bought the car second-hand in about 1903 and they had used it regularly. Eventually, the radiator developed a serious leak and was sent away for repair, never to be seen again. At the outbreak of the First World War, her brother took the car to pieces so that it could be taken down into the cellar, whilst he then went to the trenches – from which he did not return.”

Almost 50 years later the car saw daylight again and 60 years after that moment the present owner undoubtedly will bring her back to her former racing and touring condition. We all look forward to her glorious reappearance!

Words by Ariejan Bos. Photographs by Jules Beau present in the collection of the Biblothèque nationale de France (Gallica-BnF).

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