Recaro Automotive is 60 years old

Recaro Automotive is celebrating 60 years of innovation in 2023. On that note, the premium seat manufacturer looks back at its storied history.

“Recaro Automotive is excited to share our 60th Anniversary of Automotive Seating under the Recaro brand name with our global family of customers including automotive manufacturers, motorsports teams, aftermarket owners, and fans of the brand. Recaro Automotive maybe 60 years old but we’re still the same — offering innovative products that are highly desired due to their safety, quality, and comfort features,” said Recaro Automotive President and Chief Operating Officer Emil Kreycik.

For the uninitiated, the name Recaro came from “Reuterr Carosserie.” Since its inception, the company has introduced some of the most innovative and purposefully engineered automotive seating products ever produced. Today, Recaro Automotive continues advancing, evolving, and striving to push boundaries, empowering its engineers to establish new standards for performance, ergonomics, and safety.

In 1965, the automotive firm started offering what would be the world’s first retrofit seat for automobiles, featuring revolutionary foam upholstery and side bolsters.

And from 1967 to 1977, Recaro presented many automotive firsts, such as the brand’s first “shell seat” (street-legal bucket seat), Recaro’s first safety seat concept (first vehicle seat with an integrated seat belt), the first Recaro racing seat with a super-sturdy double shell, and Recaro’s first electro-pneumatic lumbar support and first adjustable side bolster.

And while we’re on the topic of firsts, it was in 1981 that Recaro launched its first seat for commercial vehicles with a shock-cushioning system.

On top of commercial vehicles, Recaro also manufactures seats for passenger aircraft — like the one we sat on when Carmudi Philippines attended a motoring event in Cagayan De Oro. And oh, they also make baby car seats and e-sports gaming chairs.

However, Recaro is best known for its track-to-street technology, which the automotive seat brand has pioneered since 1989. During the aforementioned year, Recaro released the A8, its first performance seat made with a glass fiber-reinforced plastic backrest.

From 2002 to 2022, Recaro launched various technologies like the first racing shell optimized for the usage of HANS (head and neck support system), the Recaro P 1300 GT (first racing shell with fore-aft adjustment according to FIA 8862-2009), the Recaro Podium (first street-legal and FIA-homologated performance seat), the Recaro Pro Racer XL-ORV (first offroad racing seat to successfully gain certification in FIA standard 8855-1999), and the Recaro Sport C (first fully powered Aftermarket sports seat).

Through the years, Recaro has produced components for notable brands like Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Ineos, KTM, Mitsubishi, MTM, Nissan, Porsche, Renault, RUF, Subaru, and even Sony.

“As a brand, Recaro Automotive has always pushed boundaries, questioned limits, and strove to adapt to our customer demands. Whether it’s an OEM partnership, or working with drivers and teams trackside, we take pride in being the first to market with world-renowned, innovative seating products. We look forward to carrying on this tradition well into the future,” stated Recaro Automotive Product Development and Brand Global Vice President Nicole McElroy.

Photos from Recaro and Juan Paulo Papa

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