1914 Adler 35/80HP Phaeton
- Brand: Adler
Frankfurt-based Adler started out in the 19th Century as a bicycle manufacturer, turning later to the production of motorcycles, cars and the typewriters with which its name is most commonly associated today. A highly respected firm in its native Germany, Adler was already manufacturing automobile components when it introduced its first car - a Renault-influenced, De Dion-powered voiturette - in 1900. Within a few years the company was making its own single- and twin-cylinder engines though by 1910 the range was powered exclusively by fours. Some of the latter were huge, one of which was purchased by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Sixes and a straight eight were added to the range in the 1920s and then in 1932 the firm introduced the revolutionary front-wheel drive Trumpf for which it is best remembered.
Adler's pre-WWI range was comprised of straightforward motor cars noted for their solid good looks and a rather peculiar gear change, but the Kleinwagen (little car) of 1911 was an attempt to bridge the gap between cyclecars and the 1.8-litre '12'. The Kleinwagen was powered by a four-cylinder, sidevalve engine displacing 1,292cc and equipped with magneto ignition. At the other end of the scale there was the magnificent 35/80hp, a 9.1-litre four-cylinder leviathan that sat at the very top of the Adler range. The biggest Adler ever made, the 35/80hp had a top speed of 115km/h and cost a staggering 16,800 Reichsmarks when new, a veritable king's ransom. It is believed that only four were made, of which the car offered here is the sole survivor.
Carrying seven-seater phaeton coachwork, this car was used by the German military during WWI, since when it has been resident in Switzerland, latterly in the long-term ownership of the Jean Tua Transport Museum in Geneva Un-restored.
Descriptions & pictures by bonhams & Flicker
| Specification | |
| Production Start | 1914 |
| Country of origin | Germany |
