A Brief History of the Marque
Trumpf-Ass Fahrradwerk [1] was founded shortly after the 1918 armistice in an abandoned factory which is now the Saarbrücken exhibition centre, on the French border near Nancy and Metz. There they produced motorcycles between 1925 and 1931 using MAG and Gnome & Rhône engines of 350cc and 500cc, and a 200cc two-stroke.
Initially named Trumpf-Ass, the TWN Triumph firm took issue with the similarity so the acronym TAS was adopted.
The 1925 model range consisted of the Piccolo 175cc, Junior 250cc, Riemenmaschine 498cc SV (belt drive), and Kettenmaschine 498cc SV (chain drive). The 500cc Trumpf-Ass machines were similar to the D Series from Gnome & Rhône, with whom they had a close relationship.
Towards the end of the decade the tariffs which had made the German machine attractive to French buyers were dropped and the relationship with G&R ended. Subsequently they adopted 347 and 497cc MAG engines. They were also supplied complete machines by Henri Dresch, whose model MS 30 was rebadged as a TAS in 1929, along with a 200cc model.
Notes. 1. Fahrradwerk = bicycle factory
Sources: GTU Oldtimerservice, mvca.at, Tragatsch p182
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