Additionally, KTM was able to produce motorcycles for the racing industry. His son Erich Trunkenpolz took charge of the company's management.Īs the company continued to expand, the workforce totalled 400 in 1971, and forty years after it was founded, KTM was offering 42 different models. Two years later in 1962, Hans Trunkenpolz also died of a heart attack. The 1960s also saw the beginning of bicycle production in Mattighofen.Įrnst Kronreif died in 1960. KTM's first moped, named Mecky, was launched in 1957, followed by Ponny I in 1960 and Ponny II in 1962 and Comet in 1963. In 1957, KTM built its first sports motorcycle, the Trophy 125cc. In 1956, KTM made its appearance at the International Six Days Trials, where Egon Dornauer won a gold medal on a KTM machine. ![]() The company secured its first racing title in the 1954 Austrian 125cc national championship. In 1954, the R125 Tourist was introduced, followed by the Grand Tourist and the scooter Mirabell in 1955. In 1953, businessman Ernst Kronreif became a major shareholder of the company, which was renamed and registered as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. With just 20 employees, motorcycles were built at a rate of three per day. Serial production of the R100 started in 1953. The components of the motorcycle were produced in house, except for the Rotax engines which were made by Fichtel & Sachs. ![]() The prototype of his first motorcycle, the R100, was built in 1951. Īfter the war, demand for repair works fell sharply and Trunkenpolz started thinking about producing his own motorcycles. ![]() During the Second World War, his wife took care of the business which was thriving mainly on account of diesel engine repairs. His shop was known as Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, but the name was unregistered. In 1937, he started selling DKW motorcycles, and Opel cars the following year. In 1934, an Austrian engineer Johann (Hans) Trunkenpolz set up a fitter's and car repair shop in Mattighofen. Hans Trunkenpolz and Ernst Kronreif Early years
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |