If you spend any time in the off-road scene, you know the name Taubenreuther. The company is based in Kulmbach in Upper Franconia and this year celebrates its 60th anniversary. And if you don’t know the name yet, it’s high time you did. Because the story of this firm is so wild, so stubborn and so damned full of passion that we simply have to tell it.
It started with construction machinery, but not for long
In 1966 Dieter and Bernd Taubenreuther senior founded a trading company for construction and farm machinery. They handled sales, service and repairs, and business was good. But Bernd senior wasn’t a man to settle for good. He was an adventurer and a visionary, forever travelling in the USA and always on the hunt for the next big thing. When he came across WARN over there, then still a fairly young company building the first winches for private vehicles, it was instantly clear: this has to come to Germany.
That was exactly the time when the first Jeeps and Land Rovers were coming onto the private market. The winches that existed until then were built for the military and forestry, far too big and far too heavy for normal use. WARN changed that, and Taubenreuther brought the technology to Europe.
The partnership with ARB came about at roughly the same time. Both connections still hold today, so for over 50 years. That’s no small achievement.
In the early 1970s Bernd senior took the helm completely and shifted the focus to special vehicles such as snowmobiles, piste machines and rugged tractor units. Joining the association of recovery and towing firms then made it official once and for all: off-road was the direction from now on.
One winch writes off-road history
In the 1970s and early 1980s Taubenreuther changed from a pure dealer into a technical specialist. The sale of classic construction machinery moved into the background, and instead the company built rugged tow vehicles, special solutions for emergency services and ever more accessories for off-road use.
Then 1980 brought a real milestone: Taubenreuther developed its own winch mounting kit for the legendary WARN 8274 on the Range Rover. At first it looked like a clever bit of detail engineering, but it quickly became much bigger than expected. At the Camel Trophy in Sumatra every single vehicle was fitted with exactly this combination. Without the Taubenreuther solution, one of the toughest adventure formats of its time probably couldn’t have been run at all. Taubenreuther engineering kept the Camel Trophy going, and that’s no exaggeration.
Camel Trophy
The blow that changed everything
In 1982 Bernd Taubenreuther senior died completely unexpectedly at just 44. It was a shock for the family and a shock for the company. From one day to the next, structures had to be rethought, responsibilities reassigned and hard financial decisions made.
Gisela Taubenreuther carried the business on, and long-serving staff took over key roles. Then the founder’s sons, Axel and Peter Taubenreuther, joined the day-to-day business. Peter took over the commercial side, Axel the technical side with product development, the workshop and all the technical processes. Between them they set up practically everything anew.
The team in the early 90sShaped by their parents’ trips to Scandinavia and the USA, Axel and Peter brought fresh ideas, international contacts and a load of technical know-how with them. They developed their own mounting kits and consistently adapted products to European standards.
In the 1980s and 1990s they established the ARB brand in Europe, among others, and were co-founders of the 4×4 scene. Out of that grew a principle that still holds today: whatever is imported is also developed further technically and adapted to European requirements. You can feel that ambition in every single Taubenreuther product.
And then it all burned down
The company had just stabilised and the difficult years after the founder’s death were behind it. And then came 3 June 1991: the company building in Kulmbach burned down almost completely. A few days later it turned out to be arson. The stock was gone, the infrastructure was gone, and the heart of the business lay in rubble and ashes.
The fire in 1991But giving up was never an option for Taubenreuther. Stock was stored in makeshift tents, offices and a workshop were rigged up as best they could, and the business simply carried on. And then something showed itself that was perhaps even more impressive than the rebuilding itself: the network Taubenreuther had built up over decades. Suppliers, partners, friends and local businesses all stood by the family, with hard graft, with trust and with financial support. At Taubenreuther you were never just a business partner, you were part of a big off-road family.
And only a year later they were already celebrating the topping-out ceremony for the new building. One year after a total loss, that’s quite a statement.
The Transylvania Trophy: adventure for the true off-road spirit
The 1990s brought expansion and adventure, and with it a very special chapter of European off-road history. In May 1993 the Transylvania Trophy took place for the first time. It was set up as an alternative to the Camel Trophy, but with one decisive difference: nobody turned up with a sponsor’s vehicle here, because the participants came in their own cars.
Going it alone was out of place, because the special tasks could only be mastered as a team. The participants drove through remote regions in Romania and Ukraine, worked their way through the terrain with roadbooks of their own making and had to master challenges that demanded absolutely everything. For many it was quite simply the adventure of their lives.
The Trophy was put on by WARN and the German OFF-ROAD magazine. It was organised and run by Claus Leihner. And the sponsor list reads like a who’s who of the scene: Taubenreuther, Delta 4×4, PIAA, Fulda, General Tire and many more. The two British 4×4 magazines AND and LRO were on board too, and journalists reported on the event across Europe, and in America as well.
Taubenreuther played a central role at the Trophy. At the start of every event the team from Kulmbach gave briefings on the correct use of the winches, which were provided to the participants for the duration of the Trophy. The most used model was the WARN 8274, which by the way you still regularly see in action today, including in many converted versions.
Matchbox cars in the mud
If you’re wondering how off-road got so deep into Taubenreuther’s DNA: the family lived right on the company grounds. Bernd Taubenreuther junior, today one of the two junior bosses together with his brother Frank, remembers that time well. “When we were little, we were always riding inline skates and go-karts around the firm. And of course we climbed all over the machines.”
But their favourite game was a different one: they dug holes, turned on the garden hose and ploughed their Matchbox cars through the mud. Even on holiday by the sea, really only one thing interested Bernd, namely the drainage channel. “Because you could drive your car through the sandy mud there so brilliantly.” The off-road gene was clearly there from the start in the young Taubenreuthers.
Every second or third weekend they were off to some festival or vehicle demonstration. And on holiday too there was always a trailer full of products along, with at least ten stops where the father dropped something off to somebody.
Motorsport and an international presence
Away from the Transylvania Trophy as well, Taubenreuther grew internationally in the 1990s. Subsidiaries and shareholdings sprang up in Austria, Hungary, Romania, Italy and Britain. The company became a supplier to vehicle makers such as Mitsubishi and Ford, accompanied international events and celebrated successes in motorsport, including at the El Chott, the Baja Italia and the UAE Desert Challenge.
UAE Desert Challenge
Baja Italia 1996On top of that came an ISO certification, in-house development departments, CAD-based product development and an early move into online retail. The ambition was always the same: to keep thinking technology forward and developing it further.
They really do test everything
What sets Taubenreuther apart from many others in the industry: they test what they sell. And properly so. Current pick-ups or vehicles like the Suzuki Jimny they buy themselves or work on together with car dealers they’re friends with, and then products are fitted, tried out and assessed.
For their own developments like skid plates or winch mounts they need the vehicles on site anyway. They’re captured with a 3D scanner, then a prototype is made in Kulmbach, and if everything fits it goes into series production. Many products are made in Germany and the rest in Europe, but always with partners Taubenreuther has worked with for years.
60 years, and there’s more to come
Today Taubenreuther stands for hundreds of own products, even more individual certifications and six decades of pioneering work lived out in practice. Social media, YouTube and data-driven processes complement the classic off-road expertise. Alongside this, the infrastructure has been deliberately expanded: the warehouse has been considerably enlarged, and with the recent completion of a new, modern storage hall Taubenreuther now has efficient, future-proof logistics in place.
At the same time the travel and 4×4 world is changing. The trend is moving away from the classic off-roader towards travel vehicles based on Sprinters and panel vans. Taubenreuther recognised this early and has for some time offered items like roof rack systems, skid plates and winch kits for this segment. But one thing is completely clear: products for luxury motorhomes will never exist at Taubenreuther. The company wants to make panel vans more track- and off-road-capable, and that’s where it stays.
In 2026 they mark not only the 60th anniversary, but also the next step: new logo, new look, new online shop and a clear view ahead.
Six decades, the sudden death of the founder, a major fire, countless rallies and thousands of products lie behind this firm. And through it all they’ve stayed true to themselves. In an industry that likes to dress itself up in big words, Taubenreuther would rather let the engineering do the talking. Because that actually works, out there, where it really counts.