Gitane

In 1925 Marcel Bruneliere opened a machine shop in Machecoul, France specialising in farming machinery but also parts for bicycles. The following year, he opened a bicycle manufacturing shop nearby which produced two to three bikes a day under the brand name Marbru

By 1930 Mr Bruneliere was using the brand name Gitane on bicycle parts but frame production did not begin until 1940, when the company began producing complete bicycles.

The company was renamed Cycles Gitane in 1952 producing motorcycles in addition to bicycles and began to sponsor bicycle racing teams as well as motorcycle racing.

The firm made its first big impact on the professional cycling circuit in 1957, when Jacques Anquetil rode a Gitane to victory in the French National Championships. This began a period of prominence for Gitane in bicycle racing right through to the early 1980s.

In 1960, the company was producing around 500 bicycles per day and by 1972 Gitane was France’s number one exporter of bicycles, sending over 185,000 overseas per year.

This success attracted Renault auto group, which purchased a 30% interest in the company in 1974, taking over fully in 1976. This purchase brought more success for Gitane racing – both on bicycles and in motorcycle.

For the next five years the Renault-Gitane team began dominating the European cycling scene with Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, the Madiot brothers, and would lead to the discovery of the first big name in US cycling: Greg LeMond.

But despite this success, economic realities in the bicycle industry and by 1985, amidst a recession in France, Renault ditched Gitane.

Over the next 30 years the brand name Gitane has changed hands many times and today Gitanes are available only in France and now owned by Grimaldi Industri AB

source: Wikipedia