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Home » Adler » Special » 1966 #2384179
1966 Adler Special Serial # 2384179 1966 Adler Special typewriter, Serial # 2384179 Javier Vazquez del Olmo's 1966 Adler Special typewriter. 2018-12-12 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Javier Vazquez del Olmo: 1966 Adler Special Serial # 2384179 This machine came side by side with a close relative: an Adler Universal.

At first glance it looks like a slightly smaller Adler Universal with different bodywork, but it seems to be a fairly different machine. I can't say much about it because this poor thing doesn't work at all. As soon as it arrived I tried to push some keys, everything went fine for about 20 seconds and then nothing else happened. No carriage movement, no key movement, nothing at all. While it looked better preserved than the badly bruised Universal, it was far more dirty.

Although I can't do much with it right now (apart from trying to repair it), it triggers a question: why did Adler manufacture two different standard typewriters at the same time? I could understand some overlapping in models or modifications in a base model which were marketed as a different machine, but how can this be explained?

1966 Adler Special #2384179

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 12-12-2018 at 08:30AM
Last Edit: 12-12-2018 at 08:31AM


Description:

This machine came side by side with a close relative: an Adler Universal.

At first glance it looks like a slightly smaller Adler Universal with different bodywork, but it seems to be a fairly different machine. I can't say much about it because this poor thing doesn't work at all. As soon as it arrived I tried to push some keys, everything went fine for about 20 seconds and then nothing else happened. No carriage movement, no key movement, nothing at all. While it looked better preserved than the badly bruised Universal, it was far more dirty.

Although I can't do much with it right now (apart from trying to repair it), it triggers a question: why did Adler manufacture two different standard typewriters at the same time? I could understand some overlapping in models or modifications in a base model which were marketed as a different machine, but how can this be explained?

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:




Here mechanical differences with the Universal become apparent.
Here mechanical differences with the Universal become apparent.




A weird placement for the mainspring drum. Dead center on the back panel
A weird placement for the mainspring drum. Dead center on the back panel

Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)

Javier Vazquez del Olmo's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6476

The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.

A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.



RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Adler Special on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Adler Serial Number page and the Adler Special By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.