Adler Primus: the conservative small Adler

The Adler Primus was a small family car introduced by Adler in March 1932. It was the first of the company’s two small models that year and the conservative one: while its sibling Trumpf used front-wheel drive, the Primus kept rear-wheel drive and a simple chassis derived from the 1927 Standard 6. Its design was the work of Otto Göckeritz.

Adler Primus at a glance

History of the Adler Primus

A scaled-down Standard 6

The 1932 Primus was effectively a smaller version of Adler’s Standard 6 of 1927, using the same high-bodied layout and an overslung chassis with the rigid axles mounted beneath the main load-bearing members. Otto Göckeritz, who had designed Adler’s first small car in 1906, was responsible for the conventional engineering. The car was introduced early in 1932, a few months before the front-wheel-drive Trumpf.

Engine and bodies

At launch the Primus had a 1,504 cc four-cylinder engine with 32 PS at 3,500 rpm and a claimed 90 km/h top speed. Ambi-Budd of Berlin supplied two all-steel bodies, a two-door Limousine and a cabriolet, both on a 2,700 mm wheelbase and 4,000 mm long. The saloon cost 3,600 Marks and the cabriolet 4,300. The Primus was 250 Marks cheaper than the equivalent 1.5-litre Trumpf when the latter appeared. Its radiator was not covered by a grille at first, though it had a chrome frame of its own; from 1933 the Primus adopted the grille that the Trumpf had worn from launch.

1933 range extension

For 1933 an optional 1,645 cc engine became available, giving 38 PS at 3,800 rpm and a 95 km/h top speed. Buyers could now specify a four-door saloon, either with the standard body or with a longer six-light body whose extra cabin length came at the expense of the small luggage locker behind the rear seat. A cabriolet remained on the list. Four-door saloons cost 650 Marks more than the two-door equivalents, and price lists mention a long-wheelbase Pullman-Limousine, though it is not clear whether any were built.

The 1937 revival

The original Primus was produced with the 1,504 cc engine until 1934 and with the 1,645 cc engine until May 1936, by which time 6,713 had been made. Eight months later a rebodied Primus appeared, still rear-driven, still with the 1,645 cc 38 PS engine and the same 2,700 mm wheelbase. Only a two-door Limousine was offered, again bodied by Ambi-Budd; Karmann proposed a full range of bodies but none reached production. Known as the Primus 1.7 E, it cost 3,600 Marks, 500 Marks below the similarly powered Trumpf, and 990 were built between early 1937 and March 1938. Although the Primus was outsold by the front-wheel-drive Trumpf, the two together quickly outsold rival small cars from Opel, Wanderer and Mercedes-Benz.

Design and features

• Rear-wheel drive: the conventional alternative to the front-driven Trumpf.
• Simple overslung chassis: a scaled-down version of the 1927 Standard 6 layout.
• Lower price: 250 Marks below the equivalent Trumpf in 1.5-litre form.
• Two body lengths: standard and six-light four-door saloons from 1933.
• 1937 Primus 1.7 E: a streamlined two-door revival with the 1,645 cc engine.

Adler Primus versions

• Primus 1.5 (1932–1934): 1,504 cc engine, two-door Limousine or cabriolet.
• Primus 1.6 (1933–1936): optional 1,645 cc engine with 38 PS.
• Four-door saloon: standard or longer six-light body from 1933.
• Primus 1.7 E (1937–1938): rebodied two-door Limousine, 990 built.

The Primus was the rear-wheel-drive sister of the Adler Trumpf, and the smaller Adler Trumpf Junior followed in 1934. The six-cylinder Adler Diplomat was the larger car in the range. More Adler cars are in the Adler collection.

Sources

• Adler Primus, English Wikipedia: history, engines, bodies, prices, production
• Adler Primus, German Wikipedia: model history, production totals