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The Adler bicycle works were created in 1880 by Heinrich Kleyer as Heinrich Kleyer GmbH. In 1895/1896, constant operating extensions led to the transformation into the Adlerwerke AG. Starting in 1901, motorcycles were added to the production range. In 1903, Edmund Rumpler took over the design department of Adler and developed the first own engines, which were taken into production in 1904. Beginning in 1907, no more motorcycles were manufactured until after World War II.
The success model Standart 6 appeared in 1926 from which about 20,000 copies were built until the year 1934. In 1928 - based on the same technical basis - the eight-cylinder model Standart 8 was added. Only one year later, the four-cylinder Favorit followed. In 1932, the Adler Trumpf was presented. It was a medium class vehicle, which was characterised by single wheel suspension of all wheels and - at this time still unusual - front wheel drive. In 1934, the small car Adler Trumpf Junior followed which had front wheel drive. More than 100,000 copies of this design were produced until 1939. On 12th December 1938, 90,087 Adler passenger cars were licensed in the German Reich.
Commencing in 1927/28, Adler manufactured the first Kübelwagen. These were based on commercial chassis of the Standard 6. Later developed Kübelwagen were based on commercial chassis of later Adler models. Sole exception was the Adler V 40 T which was developed for the Luftwaffe. In winter 1941/42, minister Todt made a trip of inspection to the east front – 30 km in front of Moscow. On this occasion, the Adler proved very well. Six vehicles of the pilot production series were sent to North Africa but a series production was not started.
The Adlerwerke manufactured lorries already before World War I. After World War I, production of lorries up to a payload of 5 tons was continued. In the 1930s, Adler mainly manufactured lorries up to a payload of 2.5 tons. In the years 1938 and 1939, about 1,500 exemplars of the 1.5 ton lorry type W 61 were manufactured as ambulances and about 900 exemplars as lorries for the Wehrmacht. On 22nd March 1944, the Adler works were heavily damaged by an air raid. As the consequence, large parts of production were evacuated.
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