KTM Classic Cars for Sale

KTM AG is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer that is best known for its off-road motorcycles. The roots of the company can be traced back to 1934 with humble beginnings as a car and motorcycle repair shop. KTM is now known as one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in Europe and is under the joint ownership of KTM Industries AG and Bajaj Auto.

The History of KTM

Founded in 1934 by Johann (Hanz) Trunkenpolz, the original repair shop was known as Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. Business was good, and in 1937 it also branched out into selling Opel Cars and DKW motorcycles. The repair shop thrived during World War 2 due to the demand for repairs on diesel engines, however after the war, the repair side of the business fell sharply and Trunkenpolz, an engineer by trade, began considering producing his own motorcycles. The first of which, the R100 was built in 1951.

During the 1950’s KTM expanded rapidly and a sizeable investment from businessman Ernst Kronreif in 1953 led to him becoming a major shareholder and a change of name for the company to Kronreif and Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. During the 1950’s models such as the R125 Tourist and the Grand Tourist were introduced along with the Mirabell scooter. During this time the company began to make its mark on the racing scene with a gold medal win for Egon Dornauer on a 125cc KTM motorcycle at the 1956 International Six Day Trials.

By 1971 the company was producing over 42 models of motorcycle and had a workforce of over 400, and in 1978 the North American subsidiary of the company, KTM North American Inc was founded.

The 1980’s saw another renaming of the company to KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau KG and in 1981 KTM had over 700 employees, however, as the 80’s went on, demand for mopeds and scooters dropped sharply, and the company found itself in trouble, with production ceasing in 1988.

The Rebirth of KTM

The 1990’s saw a number of restructures of the company, with it being split into four separate entities, The newly formed KTM Sportmotorcycle GmbH took over motorcycle production and started production in 1992, 1994 saw the introduction of KTM’s first street bike, the Duke series and in 1996 KTM motocross machines took on their now famous orange colour. Alongside its famous sport and off-road bikes, the company has continued its expansion into street bikes and also introduced a series of two-seater sports cars known as the X-Bow. By 2015 KTM had seen a total reversal in fortune with a turnover of 1 billion Euros.