Léonce Aimable Victor Girardot was a famous automobile manufacturer, and was one of the first to present a De Dion-Bouton tricycle.
In 1897, he finished fourth on a two-seater motorcycle with Gaston Rivierre in the first Critérium des Motocycles.
In 1901 Girardot founded Charron-Girardot-Voigt (CGV) in Puteaux in 1901 with Fernand Charron and Émile Voigt. All three were previously cyclists with the Panhard et Levasor team. Girardot left the company and it renamed to Charron Automobiles Ltd. which continued production of automobiles until 1930.
Of note is a machine they produced in 1902 which was the first armoured vehicle. They mounted a Hotchkiss machine gun in a turret above the rear seating area - this was the predecessor of the modern tank.
Sources: Bourdache pp 45, 53, 57, 61.; Wikipedia FR.; Autopasion18.com.
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