Adler (automobile)
Encyclopedia
Adler was a German
automobile
and motorcycle
manufacturer from 1900 until 1957. Adler is German for eagle
.
, the company used De Dion
two- and four-cylinder
engines in cars that ranged from 1032 cc to 9081 cc; beginning in 1902 (the year Edmund Rumpler
became technical director), they used their own engines as well. These cars, driven by Erwin Kleyer and Otto Kleyer (sons of the company founder Heinrich Kleyer) and by Alfred Theves won many sporting events. In the 1920s, Karl Irion raced many Adlers; popular models of the period included the 2298 cc, 1550 cc, and 4700 cc four-cylinders and the 2580 cc six-cylinders. Many of the Standard models, built between 1927 and 1934, featured Gropius and Neuss coachwork. These had 2916 cc six-cylinder engines and 3887 cc eight-cylinder engines. The Standard was the first European car to use hydraulic brakes, starting in 1926 when they were fitted with an ATE-Lockheed system. 1927 to 1929 Clärenore Stinnes
was the first to circumnavigate the world by car, in an Adler Standard 6.
In December 1930, Adler assigned the German engineer Josef Ganz
, who was also editor-in-chief of Motor-Kritik
magazine, as a consultant engineer. In the first months of 1931, Ganz constructed a lightweight Volkswagen
prototype at Adler with a tubular chassis, a mid-mounted engine, and independent wheel suspension
with swing-axles
at the rear. After completion in May 1931, Ganz nicknamed his new prototype Maikäfer
(May Beetle). After a shift in management at Adler, further development of the Maikäfer was stopped as the company's new technical director Hans Gustav Röhr concentrated on front-wheel driven cars.
In the 1930s, the company introduced front-wheel drive
Trumpf and Trumpf-Junior models, ranging from 995 cc to 1645cc four-cylinder sv
engines. These gained many successes in races, including in the Le Mans
race. The 1943 cc Favorit, the 2916 cc six-cylinder Diplomat (featuring 65 hp
(48 kW) at 3800 rpm, and the 1910 cc four-cylinder and 2494 cc six-cylinder models (with Ambi-Budd and Karmann
bodywork
) were all rear-driven; these were built until World War II
. The last new car introduced by Adler was the 2,5 Liter of 1937; it had a six-cylinder engine producing 58 hp (43 kW). Thanks to a streamlined body designed by Paul Jaray
, this car could run at 125 km/h (78 mph).
After World War II
, a decision was made to not resume automobile construction. Motorcycle production resumed in 1949 and continued for 8 years, leading to the production of the MB 250S. As part of the Allies war reparations, Adler motorcycle designs had been taken by BSA
in Britain and later used by the British company Ariel
to produce their 'Arrow' and 'Leader' models. Increasingly, Adler focused on the manufacture of office equipment. The company associated with Triumph
to form Trumpf-Adler, and was taken over by Grundig
in 1957, then later by Olivetti
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
manufacturer from 1900 until 1957. Adler is German for eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
.
History
The Adler factory produced bicycles, typewriters, and motorcycles in addition to cars. Before World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the company used De Dion
De Dion
De Dion may refer to:* Jules-Albert de Dion , automobile pioneer* de Dion-Bouton, automobile manufacturer* de Dion tube, automobile suspension...
two- and four-cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
engines in cars that ranged from 1032 cc to 9081 cc; beginning in 1902 (the year Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler was an Austrian automobile and aircraft designer.Born in Vienna, then Austro-Hungarian Empire , he worked mainly in Germany.Lyons 1988, p.73 An automotive engineer by training, he collaborated with Hans Ledwinka on the first Nesseldorf , the Präsident, in 1897.By age 30, in 1902, he...
became technical director), they used their own engines as well. These cars, driven by Erwin Kleyer and Otto Kleyer (sons of the company founder Heinrich Kleyer) and by Alfred Theves won many sporting events. In the 1920s, Karl Irion raced many Adlers; popular models of the period included the 2298 cc, 1550 cc, and 4700 cc four-cylinders and the 2580 cc six-cylinders. Many of the Standard models, built between 1927 and 1934, featured Gropius and Neuss coachwork. These had 2916 cc six-cylinder engines and 3887 cc eight-cylinder engines. The Standard was the first European car to use hydraulic brakes, starting in 1926 when they were fitted with an ATE-Lockheed system. 1927 to 1929 Clärenore Stinnes
Clärenore Stinnes
Clärenore Stinnes was a German car racer; she and Swedish cinematographer Carl-Axel Söderström were the first people to circumnavigate the world by automobile....
was the first to circumnavigate the world by car, in an Adler Standard 6.
In December 1930, Adler assigned the German engineer Josef Ganz
Josef Ganz
Dipl.-Ing. Josef Ganz was a German-Hungarian car designer, born in Budapest, Hungary.-Early years:Josef Ganz was born in a Jewish family with a Hungarian mother and a German father in Budapest, the then second-largest city within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on July 1, 1898. His father, Dr...
, who was also editor-in-chief of Motor-Kritik
Motor-Kritik
Motor-Kritik was the title of a progressive automotive magazine, published by the H.Bechhold Verlagsbuchhandlung in Germany from 1929 to 1945. It originated from the earlier Klein-Motor-Sport magazine.-History:...
magazine, as a consultant engineer. In the first months of 1931, Ganz constructed a lightweight Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
prototype at Adler with a tubular chassis, a mid-mounted engine, and independent wheel suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
with swing-axles
Swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent suspension first used in early aircraft , such as the Sopwith and Fokker, usually with rubber bungee and no damping....
at the rear. After completion in May 1931, Ganz nicknamed his new prototype Maikäfer
Maikäfer
Maikäfer was the nickname of an automobile prototype, built in 1931 by German engineer Josef Ganz at Adler.-History:Josef Ganz, an independent engineer and editor-in-chief of Motor-Kritik magazine, was assigned by Adler in December 1930 as a consultant engineer...
(May Beetle). After a shift in management at Adler, further development of the Maikäfer was stopped as the company's new technical director Hans Gustav Röhr concentrated on front-wheel driven cars.
In the 1930s, the company introduced front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
Trumpf and Trumpf-Junior models, ranging from 995 cc to 1645cc four-cylinder sv
SV
-Geography:* El Salvador, ISO 3166-1 country code* Schuylkill Valley, a school district in Pennsylvania, United States* Sierra Vista, a small city in the South-Eastern corner of Arizona, United States* South Vietnam* Silicon Valley-Organizations:...
engines. These gained many successes in races, including in the Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
race. The 1943 cc Favorit, the 2916 cc six-cylinder Diplomat (featuring 65 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(48 kW) at 3800 rpm, and the 1910 cc four-cylinder and 2494 cc six-cylinder models (with Ambi-Budd and Karmann
Karmann
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known simply as Karmann, in Osnabrück, Germany was until 2009 the largest independent motor vehicle manufacturing company in Germany...
bodywork
Coachwork
Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...
) were all rear-driven; these were built until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The last new car introduced by Adler was the 2,5 Liter of 1937; it had a six-cylinder engine producing 58 hp (43 kW). Thanks to a streamlined body designed by Paul Jaray
Paul Jaray
Paul Jaray , 11 March 1889 Vienna–22 September 1974 St. Gallen, was an engineer and a pioneer of automotive streamlining.-Life:Jaray, of Hungarian-Jewish descent, was born in Vienna...
, this car could run at 125 km/h (78 mph).
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a decision was made to not resume automobile construction. Motorcycle production resumed in 1949 and continued for 8 years, leading to the production of the MB 250S. As part of the Allies war reparations, Adler motorcycle designs had been taken by BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
in Britain and later used by the British company Ariel
Ariel (vehicle)
Ariel was a bicycle, motorcycle and automobile marque manufacturer based in Bournbrook, Birmingham, England. Car production moved to Coventry in 1911. The company name was reused in 1999 for the formation of Ariel Ltd, a sports car producer.-History:...
to produce their 'Arrow' and 'Leader' models. Increasingly, Adler focused on the manufacture of office equipment. The company associated with Triumph
Triumph (TWN)
Triumph-Werke Nürnberg AG or TWN, was German bicycle and motorcycle company. In 1886, Siegfried Bettmann founded the Triumph bicycle factory in Coventry, England, and in 1896 he founded a second bicycle factory in his native Nuremberg, Germany, under the same Triumph name...
to form Trumpf-Adler, and was taken over by Grundig
Grundig
Grundig AG is a German manufacturer of consumer electronics for home entertainment which transferred to Turkish control in 2004-2007. Established in 1945 in Nuremberg by Max Grundig, the company changed hands several times before becoming part of the Turkish Koç Holding group...
in 1957, then later by Olivetti
Olivetti
Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, printers and other business machines.- Founding :The company was founded as a typewriter manufacturer in 1908 in Ivrea, near Turin, by Camillo Olivetti. The firm was mainly developed by his son Adriano Olivetti...
.