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MYSTERIOUS
MICHELIN MUSEUM
by NWCOC
Editorial Staff
In 1995, the International
Citroën Club Rally (ICCCR) was held on the Michelin test track at
their worldwide headquaters in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Ever since
ICCCR '95, I had heard rumors of a private Michelin museum somewhere
in Clermont-Ferrand. But the museum was only rumored to exist and if
it existed at all, was seldom seen by the public.

Clermont-Ferrand
Recently, my job allowed me to
work closely with Michelin of France on a project. The project
required several trips to Michelin's Clermont-Ferrand headquarters. On
the second visit, I felt that I had generated enough of a relationship
with my Michelin counterparts to ask if I could visit the mysterious
museum.
Sure enough, a museum does exist, and I was invited to see it! But my
Michelin counterpart had himself barely known of its existence! I was
driven to an anonymous industrial building near downtown
Clermont-Ferrand. The building had no way to distinguish itself as a
Michelin building. Furthermore, I found it especially curious that the
museum was not located within the gated, sprawling, and highly secured
Michelin complex itself.
There are several floors to the building and each look to be used
primarily for storage. But on the second floor, sure enough, there is
a large area set up in a museum format.

Bibendum fountain
Once inside, we had to search
for the circuit breakers to turn on the lights. We were all alone in
this huge building looking at these strange and wonderful displays. I
got the impression that very few had ever been inside. It was not
clear whether cameras were allowed, but I brought mine in anyway.
So what was inside this mysterious museum? There were bikes, cars,
motorcycles, Bibendum memorabilia, and of course, 110 years of tire
evolution! And yes, there were Citroëns - three on display and
others in the storage areas. Pictures of the inside of the museum
follow, but first, lets take a look at 170 years of Michelin company
history:
1829 |
Edouard Daubrée
marries a Scot named Elizabeth Pugh Barker, niece of the Scottish
scientist named Mackintosh who discovered the solubility of rubber
in Benzene. Elizabeth introduces rubber into the Auvergne region of
France by manufacturing balls out of rubber for her children to play
with. |
1832 |
Two cousins,
Aristide Barbier and Edouard Daubrée open a small
manufacturing plant for farm machinery and pumps in
Clermont-Ferrand, France. |
1863 |
They set up a
partnership called Barbier Daubrée & Co., which is soon
changed to E. Daubrée & Co. |
1867 |
J.G. Bideau,
a lawyer is appointed to co-direct the company with Ernest Daubrée
(who succeeded his father Edouard Daubrée). |
1868 |
The company
name is changed to J.G. Bideau & Co. |
1889 |
Edouard
Michelin, who had been operating a painting studio in Paris, takes
over management of the J.G. Bideau company and renames it Michelin
& Co.
(or 1891, depending on source) A bicyclist happens to show up on
the doorstep of Michelin & Co. looking for materials to repair a
damaged Dunlop tire for his bike. |

Tire change |
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It takes 3
hours of labor and an overnight drying time to repair the tire. The
next morning when the bike was ready, Edouard Michelin tried to ride
the newly repaired bike on the streets of Clermont-Ferrand. But
within minutes, he returned on foot - the repair had failed! Edouard
could not believe this ordeal and set off to develop a bicycle tire
that is easier to repair. This single event is credited for igniting
the Michelin tire empire.
Later this year, Michelin files its first patents for detachable
tires (this tire can be repaired in 15 minutes!). |

Charles Terront |
|
A bicyclist
named Charles Terront wins a prestigious bicycle race on a bike
equipped with detachable Michelin tires, giving Michelin outstanding
public visibility. |
1892 |
Edouard
Michelin foresees that the pneumatic tire will play a central role
in the emerging transportation industry and focuses strongly on tire
development. |

Brothers Andre and
Edouard Michelin - 1885 |
1895 |
A car, driven
by Edouard Michelin and his brother André, completes the
Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race (1200 km). This is the first automobile to
be equipped with pneumatic tires! |
1898 |
As Edouard
Michelin is approaching the Michelin tire display at an exposition
in Lyon, he sees a tall stack of Michelin tires and remarks to his
brother André, "Give it some arms and legs and it would
look like a man!" Soon after, the Michelin man corporate mascot
is born with the help of an artist named O'Galop. |

Inspiration for
Bibendum |
1898 |
On one of the
first advertising posters with the Michelin man, he is shown
drinking a goblet of sharp objects signifying that Michelin tires
can "drink" sharp objects. Across the top of the poster,
there is a latin verse, "Nunc est Bibendum!" This verse
translates to "It's time to drink!" Henceforth, the
Michelin man was named, Bibendum. |

Thought to be the
first and second Bibendum advertisements (1899) |
1900 |
Michelin
publishes their first travel guide, presumably to make travel easier
and hence generate more of a demand for Michelin tires. |
1905 |
The Michelin
plant in Clermont-Ferrand is expanded to cover 74 acres of land and
employs 4000 people. |
1907 |
Michelin
opens its first tire manufacturing plant in the USA (Milltown, New
Jersey). |
1913 |
Michelin
invents the first detachable steel wheel. |
1914 |
Michelin
starts building airplanes in Clermont-Ferrand as part of the WW1 war
effort. |

Early bi-plane |
1916 |
Michelin
builds the world's first paved airplane runway, located in
Clermont-Ferrand. |
1928 |
Edouard
Michelin appoints his son, Etienne, as co-director of the company. |
1934 |
Michelin
takes control of the financially troubled Citroën company.
Fortunately, Michelin decides to continue with the Traction Avant
project. |
1935 |
Pierre
Michelin (another son of Edouard) is named president of the Citroën
company and Pierre Boulanger is named vice president.
Citroën launches the TPV program (Tout Petit Véhiclule).
As we all know, this became the 2CV. |
1946 |
Michelin
files for a patent on the first tire of radial construction on June
4. |
1948 |
The 2CV
is launched at the Paris Auto Show. |
1949 |
The Michelin
radial tire is named with the "X" nomenclature. |
1955 |
Francois
Michelin (son of Etienne Michelin) becomes co-director of the
company. |
1974 |
Michelin
sells its shares in the Citroën company. |
1981 |
Michelin
introduces the "AIR X," the first radial tire for
aircraft. |
1994 |
Michelin
introduces their "Energy" range of car tires, designed to
reduce rolling friction and hence improve fuel consumption. |
1998 |
Bibendum
celebrates his 100th birthday. |
Now for some photos of the
museum:

Yup, that is a perfect
2CV Sahara in the background

Metal rivets were used
in an early attempt to improve traction

Early attempt at snow
chains, using leather straps and metal rivets

Post-war Traction Avant
used for tire testing

Test equipment inside
the Traction

Very Famous Cutaway
Tire showing radial construction (1946). This tire is featured in the
spring 2001 issue of Invention & Technology Magazine
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