To talk about cars means to also talk about Bilstein

Back in 1873, at Altenvoerde, Westphalia, August Bilstein laid the cornerstone for the Bilstein business. Operating under the name of AUBI, deduced from the initials of its founder, the company initially produced window fittings, thus popularising the name Bilstein already at that time and even beyond the German borders.

At the beginning of the 20th century, his son, Hans Bilstein, took over the management of the companyand brought – apart from other innovations – new nickel plating and chrome plating methods to Germany. In 1928, Bilstein cooperated with the Berlin based enterprise ‘Levator-Hebezeug-Fabrik’ to supply the first chrome plated bumpers for the automobile mass production. Just one year later, the production of car jacks was started. The first working car jack caused a real stir in the automotive world and helped Bilstein to effectively establish in the automotive industry.

The times of the ‘Economic Miracle’ turned out to be crucial for Bilstein. In 1953, the French vibration explorer Christian Bourcier de Carbon patented the gas pressure shock absorber principle that was industrialised together with Bilstein from 1954. Armed with the car-jack production knowledge and with an enormous effort in the investment and development areas, the Westphalian company designed the first one-tube gas pressure shock absorber – that was used from 1957 in a production car of the Mercedes-Benz AG. A cornerstone in the suspension development and a vital contribution to the active driving safety.

In the meantime, the gas-pressure technology has established itself in all kinds of telescope shock absorbers. Today, Bilstein is a household name when it comes to high-tech in the suspension technology, ride comfort and driving safety. To make sure that this won’t change, in the future, Bilstein is a subsidiary of the ThyssenKrupp Components Technology, today. The synergy effects of this cooperation in partnership result in the ongoing development of typical Bilstein innovations. For Bilstein, the demands of the customers in the automotive and the tuning industry as well as the motor racing area represent the mainspring.