The foundation of what became KTM began in 1934 when Johann (Hans) Trunkenpolz set up a vehicle repair workshop in Mattighofen, Upper Austria. He began selling DKW motorcycles in 1937 and Opel cars the following year, trading under the name Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. After the Second World War, Trunkenpolz turned to motorcycle production. The prototype of his first original motorcycle, the R100, was completed in 1951, with serial production beginning in 1953 using Rotax engines sourced from Fichtel and Sachs. Output in those early years was around three motorcycles per day with a workforce of approximately twenty people.
Ernst Kronreif entered the picture in 1953 when, as the production business was beginning to establish itself, he became a major shareholder. The company was formally renamed and registered as Kronreif and Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, and the KTM initials — derived from those three words — became the brand under which the firm's motorcycles were sold.
During the years Kronreif was involved, the company introduced a range of new models and began building a motorsport identity. The R125 Tourist appeared in 1954, followed by the Grand Tourist and the Mirabell scooter in 1955. The first moped, the Mecky, was launched in 1957, followed by successive models including the Ponny I in 1960.
The company's competitive ambitions emerged quickly. KTM secured its first racing title in 1954, winning the Austrian 125cc national motorcycle championship. In 1956 the company made its debut at the International Six Days Trials, a prestigious off-road endurance event, where Egon Dornauer won a gold medal riding a KTM machine. That appearance foreshadowed the off-road racing heritage that would come to define KTM's global identity in later decades.
In 1957, KTM built its first sports motorcycle, the Trophy 125cc, marking a step toward more performance-oriented machines. The 1960s, a period that began shortly before Kronreif's death, saw the start of bicycle production in Mattighofen — an additional product line the company would maintain as a distinct division.
Ernst Kronreif died in 1960. Two years later, in 1962, Hans Trunkenpolz also died of a heart attack. Control of the company passed to Trunkenpolz's son, Erich Trunkenpolz, who managed the firm through a period of continued expansion. By 1971 the workforce had grown to 400 employees, and KTM was offering 42 different models.
The company underwent a major restructuring in 1991 following financial difficulties, splitting into four separate entities covering motorcycles, bicycles, radiators, and tooling. The motorcycle division was taken over by Stefan Pierer in 1992 and grew into the global KTM brand recognised today, dominant in motocross, enduro, and MotoGP competition.
Ernst Kronreif's contribution to KTM lies in providing both capital and the co-founder's name at the moment the company transitioned from a repair shop and small-scale motorcycle builder into a registered manufacturing enterprise. The KTM brand, even after decades of ownership changes and global expansion, continues to carry his initial. The company he helped capitalise became Austria's largest and most internationally recognised motorcycle manufacturer and one of the most successful racing constructors in the history of two-wheeled motorsport.
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