AN ACE OF TRUMPFS; 1936 ADLER TRUMPF JUNIOR KABRIO-LIMOUSINE.(NEWS)

Byline: BROOKS BRIERLEY

WHY THE TRUMPF? COLLECTOR Alain Cerf asked when we expressed interest in this mass-produced Adler Trumpf convertible. It is one of the least assuming members of his Tampa Bay Automobile Museum in Pinellas Park, Fla., which is filled with coachbuilder-bodied Voisins, Delahayes, Tractas and Tatras.

Our answer: Adler's technical prowess and its rare presence in the United States.

Typewriters and motorcycles are the best-known Adlerwerke products, yet the Frankfurt, Germany, firm was an automotive pioneer, making its first car at the turn of the century. By 1930, Adler was the third-best-selling automobile brand in Germany, making conventional but handsome (with help from Walter Gropius of the Bauhaus), mostly mid-price models.

The Depression refocused Adler to build innovative front-wheel-drive models named Trumpf ("triumph in English). The technology was purchased from Tracta in France. A lower-priced companion, the Trumpf Junior, was introduced in 1935. The compact body lines (it is 154 inches long) enclose 1930s cutting-edge specifications, including independent four-wheel suspension, a twist-proof frame and rack-and-pinion steering.

Cerf found this Trumpf Junior in the classified pages of Hemmings. The German "kabrio-limousine nomenclature suggests a formal vehicle, but it is almost a sports car. Permanent ...