In 1955 Tourist 125cc model was developed. As the company continued to expand, the workforce totaled 400 in 1971, and forty years after it was founded, KTM was offering 42 different models. It started providing a factory team for the ISDE in ’64. Racing continued to be a testing ground for production technology, but next in line was its first scooter, the Mirabell. KTM first made an appearance at the International Six Days Trials (Enduro) in 1956 where Egon Dornauer secured a gold medal. The company’s first title was secured shortly thereafter with the 1954 Austrian 125 national championship. With just 20 employees, motorcycles were built at the rate of three per day. KTM started serial production of R100 in 1954. In 1953, businessman Ernst Kronreif became a sizable shareholder of the company which was then renamed and registered as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. All of the components of the motorcycle were produced in house, except for the Rotax engines which were made by Fichtel & Sachs. The prototype of first motorcycle R100 was produced in 1951. During the Second World War his wife took care of the business which grew mainly of diesel engine repairs.Īfter the war, demand for repair works fell sharply and Trunkenpolz started thinking about producing his own motorcycles. 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 metal working and locksmith shop in Mattighofen. KTM is known for its two-stroke and four-stroke off-road motorcycles though in recent years it has expanded into street motorcycle production and developing sports cars - One of the rarer types of KTM sports cars is called the X-Bow with a max top speed of 217 km/h (134.9 mph). However, KTM-Sportmotorcycle is most commonly associated with the KTM brand, because it still continues the flagship business of its parent company.

KTM was split into four companies, all of which shared the same 'KTM' branding, and at present have many more subsidiaries with the same branding. In 1992 the company was spun off from its parent company KTM when it ran into financial troubles. KTM was formed in 1981 but traces its foundation as early as in 1934. KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer owned by CROSS Industries AG and Bajaj Auto Limited.

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