You may have heard of Irv Gordon and his 1966 Volvo P1800, who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 for driving the most miles by a single-owner in a non-commercial vehicle, at an astounding 1.69 million miles. But Mr. Gordon did not stop driving his Volvo then and as of May 2011 his odometer was at 2,908,000 miles – he may have attained his goal of 3 million miles by now! Irv Gordon bought his 1966 Volvo P1800 new and has owned the car for 45 years. He believes the Volvo’s superior design and his own regular maintenance are what have made the difference in achieving these milestones. He also believes in Bilstein shock absorbers. As his travels progressed over the years, Mr. Gordon went through several sets of OEM shoc...
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Bilstein is known for their quality shock absorbers and suspension systems. To Bilstein, “Made in Germany” is a statement of the quality of their products. Bilstein provides not only OEM expertise, but also advanced aftermarket and tuning knowledge. Bilstein’s large selection of premium quality suspensions is made for most all applications from series replacement and tuning to different types of racing. All of Bilstein’s suspensions benefit from their experience as an OEM supplier. Bilstein has not only built up experience in development and production over the years, but also a reputation for high quality. They ensure this quality by putting every Bilstein sports suspension and coilover through rigorous testing on thei...
Read MoreWhen August Bilstein began the company called Bilstein in Altenvoerde in Germany's Westphalia region in 1873, no one could have predicted the immense impact the company's products would have on the driving comfort and safety of cars someday. Bilstein started out making metal window fittings, sold under the company name of AUBI (an abbreviation of August Bilstein), that originally brought the company recognition far beyond the region and even in other countries. Many new technologies followed over the years and these laid the foundation for the successes that would come later to this then still young company. In the 1920 Hans Bilstein, who had succeeded his father, returned to his native Westphalia from the USA, bringing along new ideas for nickel and chrome-plating procedures. In 1927 Hans Bilstein first moved towards the automotive accessory market, through his cooperation with the Berlin-based lifting gear company, Levator-Hebezeug-Fabrik. In 1928 Bilstein supplied the first chrome-plated bumper for mass-produced cars. A year later the company began manufacturing car jacks, starting in this industry with the first usable side jack. In 1954 Bilstein realized the potential of an idea by Prof. Bourcier de Carbon, a French researcher in the field of vibrations, before the rest of the market caught on. The problem was eradicating the disadvantages of conventional telescopic shock absorbers, while reducing the weight of the dampers and making it possible to fit them in any position. After significant design and production investment the first mono-tube gas pressure shock absorber in a standard production Mercedes-Benz vehicle was introduced in 1957. This innovation is still considered a significant factor in safe driving today. Customer demand and its dedication to motor sports are still what inspire design and forward-thinking at Bilstein today. Bilstein became a division of ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG in 1988 and a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2005. This combination will allow Bilstein to continue its tradition of cutting-edge technology advances into the future.
The name ThyssenKrupp Bilstein Suspension represents creative and cutting-edge results in chassis design around the world. ThyssenKrupp Bilstein produces a complete range line of damping and suspension products with production facilities in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. The partnership with the international ThyssenKrupp Technologies Group ensures that resources are available for continuing leadership in development of new technologies. They are especially dedicated to improving engineering design and systems in automotive engineering through the application of simultaneous engineering concepts.
Over the last 45 years Bilstein has been a respected and recognized name in racing. Bilstein has created many innovations from their experience in racing and working with their customers in most motorsport series, from Rally to Formula 1 Racing. This partnership and experience has allowed Bilstein to offer a wide range of creative and superior quality motorsport dampers.
