Automotive design for Alexis Kellner AG Berlin

£1,500 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

Finished in two-tone dark and light brown, with matching solid disc wheels, picked out against a silhouetted trees, this handsome 4-door limousine would have represented the pinnacle of Frankfurt motor manufacturer, Adler's aspirations of entering the luxury car market. Better known for more modest vehicles, this was to be powered by an 8-cylinder engine, a development from their existing 6-cylinder model, itself an evolution of their staple 4-cylinder workhorse. Introduced in 1928, the Standard 8 fell foul of the global stock market crash a year later, and by the early 1930s, Adler had withdrawn from what had been the more affluent end of the market, to concentrate on its more utilitarian base. Although larger in scale than the rest of Adler's range, the Standard 8 had always fallen short of the true luxury offered by the likes of Mercedes, although this was clearly reflected in its far more modest price. Founded by Alexis Kellner (1880-1953) in 1910, in Berlin, the eponymous Alexis Kellner AG coachbuilding company's stylish automobile bodywork designs were immediately successful. This was demonstrated by the number of orders he received at the International Motor Show, in Berlin, in 1911. Kellner was noted for his inventiveness of small details, such as a concealed handle behind the driver's seat for quickly and easily raising and lowering the car's roof, concealed bonnet hinges, for aesthetic as well as aerodynamic reasons, and a suitcase mounted on the running board. The

• Binding: Hardcover

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