Charlie H Manders was a prominent racing motorcyclist of the late 1920s and 1930s. He was a regular Isle of Man TT competitor, achieving his best result in the 1933 Lightweight TT when he finished 3rd on a Rudge, and won the 250cc Lightweight event at the Northwest 200 in 1935 and 1936 riding an Excelsior. Charlie Manders was also a very successful competitor on four wheels, racing Bugattis, Delages, Sunbeams and MGs as well as the Adlers that his Dublin-based motor dealership imported into Ireland from Germany. A true ‘all rounder’ in the spirit of those times, he would often pilot his Tiger Moth aircraft to race meetings.

The unique single-seater racing car offered here was specially commissioned by Charlie Manders for himself to race, and was built, regardless of cost, in England using the chassis of a 1936 Adler Trumpf Junior. Introduced in 1934, the 1.0-litre Trumpf Junior was descended from the original Trumpf, and like the latter featured front-wheel drive and all-round independent suspension. Trumpf competition models, often fitted with streamlined coachwork, were very successful in the late 1930s.

Charlie Manders went on to campaign the car in Ireland until the outbreak of war. The Manders Adler was very successful in the 1,000cc class and at times was as fast as the 1½-litre cars. Manders raced against drivers such as Prince Bira, Earl Howe, Sammy Davis, E R Hall and A Dobson at circuits including Phoenix Park, Taillight, Cork and Ards. He used racing to promote his business, and selected customers would be allowed to take away modified two-seaters to race at weekends. In 1937 Charlie Manders was involved in a major accident with a Riley in a handicap race at Taillight, but both drivers and the Adler survived without serious damage. Throughout its career the little Adler was always up at the front end of races in Southern Ireland, thanks in no small part to development undertaken by one of the most highly regarded racing mechanics of the time, Willie Wilkinson, who was also an accomplished racing driver in his own right.

The only one of its kind built with the knowledge of the works, this single-seater Adler is without doubt the most successful Trumpf Junior racecar of its time and a unique piece of motor racing history with links to Germany, Ireland and England. Offered with VSCC buff form, it has been the subject of a 15-year rebuild and tuning by the current owner and has been brought back to its present condition so that the story can continue. Because of its front-wheel drive, the Adler handles very well and the owner has been told by onlookers that it looks as if it corners on rails. Very light and easy to drive, the car has achieved several awards since completion in 2002 and has the potential to be developed still further. It is offered with sundry original photographs, photocopy documentation, an original Ards programme from 1936, assorted spare parts and two new tyres.




Unique en son genre et construite en toute connaissance de l’usine, cette monoplace Adler est sans aucun doute la Trumpf Junior de compétition la plus titrée en son temps et un élément unique de l’histoire de la course automobile ayant des liens avec l’Allemagne, l’Irlande et l’Angleterre. Offerte avec son document d’homologation du VSCC, elle a fait l’objet d’une restauration et d’une mise au point effectuées sur 15 ans par son propriétaire actuel et elle a été remise en condition de telle sorte que son histoire puisse se poursuivre. Grâce à la traction avant, le comportement de cette Adler est excellent et le propriétaire a souvent entendu dire qu’elle semblait virer comme sur des rails. Très légère et facile à piloter, la voiture a remporté plusieurs récompenses depuis son achèvement en 2002 et elle est susceptible de connaître d’autres développements. Elle est offerte avec diverses photos d’époque, une documentation photocopiée, un programme du circuit d’Ards de 1936, diverses pièces de rechange et deux pneus neufs.