The recent lockdown has meant some quiet but busy days for the staff at the KTM Motohall. Work inside the stunning complex has not stopped so here are some key reasons to plan a visit and details of a fantastic competition for those that make it to Mattighofen before the end of June.
An orange homage to motorcycling: KTM’s combination of museum, exhibition, interaction and education – the ‘KTM Motohall’ – has been open for almost a year and has so far welcomed more than 50,000 visitors.
The opening of the KTM Motohall was a hugely important day for Europe’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer. The “Friends Opening” was attended by 400 guests, including Roger DeCoster, KTM Motorsport Director for North America, whose protégé Cooper Webb had won the fourth AMA Supercross Championship for KTM just days before at the Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas. Another American, without whom KTM might not have become what it is today, also traveled to Mattighofen for the event. John Penton, now 93 years old, set things in motion in the late 1960s when he placed a major order with KTM for the production of light enduros with 100cc and 125cc.
When the KTM Motohall opens its doors after four years of planning, its three stories will give visitors the opportunity to experience the history of KTM first hand. The second story is dedicated to the development of KTM motorcycles, starting with the 1953 R 100 and KTM’s first engine all the way to the present day. For many years, KTM has been the biggest and brightest European motorcycle manufacturer, but that was not always the case. KTM has found itself in difficult times on several occasions throughout the history of the company, which spans six and a half decades. One such time was the European motorcycle crisis of the late 1950s.
KTM’s ‘MOTOHALL’ is the result of four years planning and almost 30 million euros of investment. Here’s the lowdown on the company’s impressive new showpiece set to open early May in Mattighofen.
