Alexandre Darracq

Vocation

French automobile manufacturer. He established the Gladiator Cycle Company in 1891. He sold his very successful company in 1896 and for a short time went into the business of manufacturing electric cars as well as acquiring an interest in rotary engined Millet motorcycles. He established Automobiles Darracq S.A. in Suresnes, near Paris where he pioneered the making of the chassis from pressed steel and the use of production machinery in place of manual labor. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France. His company became involved with motor racing, winning a number of major races, including the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup in the United States and twice setting a new land speed record in 1904 and 1905. The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors. After personally insisting that the new 1911 model employ the Henriod rotary valve engine, Alexadre Darracq resigned. In 1913, he sold out to a British concern and pursued other interests including running the Casino at Deauville. After World War I, he chose to retire to the French Riviera where he invested with the Belgian interests that took over the troubled luxury Hotel Negresco in Nice. He died on 2 November 1931 at his home in Monte Carlo. Link to Wikipedia biography