Recaro starting at the Mille Miglia 2014 in classic sports car produced for Porsche

With the Porsche 356 built in 1951, Recaro Holding is entering the race with a piece of history: The vehicle is the oldest Porsche in the starting field and represents a part of the more than 100-year history of the Recaro Group. The roots of the family-owned company are in the company’s predecessor, Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co, which was founded by Wilhelm and Albert Reutter in Stuttgart in 1906. Karosseriewerk Reutter manufactured the first Porsche sports cars in Germany: Reutter supplied not only the bodies but also the vehicle seats.

With the sale of the car body manufacturing plant in 1963, the focus was shifted from the exterior to the interior – the seat specialist Recaro (short for REutter CAROsserie) was born. In 1970 the company was sold to Keiper, which was founded by Fritz Keiper in 1920.

At the Mille Miglia, Recaro company representatives will revive a family history rich in tradition: Martin Putsch, who today leads the Recaro Group in the fourth generation as a descendant of company founder Fritz Keiper, as well as Frank Jung, the great-grandson of Albert Reutter, are entering the race. “With the participation in this legendary event, we want to keep our history alive as well as draw inspiration for the future from the tangible tradition,” explains Martin Putsch.

The Recaro Group comprises the Recaro Holding in Stuttgart as well as the independently operating divisions Recaro Aircraft Seating in Schwäbisch Hall and Recaro Child Safety (child car seats) in Marktleugast. The Group’s consolidated sales amounted to more than 350 million euros in 2012. Currently the Group employs more than 1,800 employees at its locations around the world.