KONI, a name synonymous with quality, performance and durability has been building premium shock absorbers since the 1940’s.
Originally founded in 1857 in Oud-Beijerland, the Netherlands, by A. de Koning, KONI did not start with making shock absorbers, but with making leather equipment for horses. It wasn’t until just before the Second World War that KONI started to work on friction type shock absorbers for passenger vehicles. After the War, KONI started production of telescopic shock absorbers, followed by the introduction of the world’s first adjustable shock absorbers.
Over time, KONI has not only improved damping for cars, but has also dedicated its expertise to improving the damping in 4WD’s, commercial vehicles, trains, military applications and even for industrial projects like bridges.
KONI is probably most well-known for its rich history in motor sport. Starting in the early fifties, KONI decided to play a more prominent role in motor sport to enlarge the company’s reputation. Motorsport was an excellent way to prove to the world that the shock absorbers manufactured in Oud-Beijerland were of the highest quality.
The first event that KONI participated in was the Tulpenrally in 1955. A Dutch organised rally but with international status, the Tulpenrally proved to be the ideal test of KONI under the strenuous, varied conditions of rally. KONI stood out head and shoulders above their competitors providing superior handling characteristics on all surfaces.
After this auspicious start in the rally scene, in 1956 KONI expanded into Formula 1. While at the famous Nordschleife, KONI assisted the Ferrari team in solving their suspension problems. Until that time, F1 still used the lever arm type shock absorbers. The KONI shock absorbers offered better damping characteristics and the possibility to mount the spring around the shock absorber, which made it more compact. The first official Grand Prix that KONI participated in was in 1958 when Belgian driver Olivier Gendebien drove a KONI-equipped Ferrari to sixth place in the fifth round of the championship.
After the start with Ferrari the brand grew fast and in 1971 KONI achieved its first World Championship win, as Tyrrell Ford won the driver’s (Jackie Stewart) and constructor’s championships. In 1975 Niki Lauda captured the F1 Grand Prix Championship in his KONI-equipped Ferrari.
In more recent times, after the FIA abolished active suspension, KONI became once more heavily involved, working with successful teams such as Benneton, Williams, BAR Honda, Red Bull, McLaren even more recently Force India.
KONI made its mark in the US too, Carol Shelby loved KONI and as a result many of his specialised Cobra builds were fitted with KONI including some of the legendary GT350 and 500 Mustangs.
Nowadays, KONI is still represented in the Formula series. Formula Racing can be divided in a lot of national and international categories. Often the cars are driven by a major field of young drivers, which guarantees spectacular races and a lot of action. KONI is involved and competes in several major Formula classes all over the world, including the GP2 series, GP3 series, Formula E, Formula 2 and Formula 3 classes, where KONI has won many races.
Off the paved racetracks, KONI has always excelled in the harsh environments such as the Dakar Rally. In 2022 KONI was represented in several classes of the Dakar Classic from trucks through to cars, in true form KONI completed all the events brilliantly. There were vehicles entered which had previously raced in the Rally 30 years ago, back as competitors in the Classic category, including the Team de Rooy DAF “Two-Headed Monster’ and ‘Brum’ trucks, plus a Lada Niva to name a few.
Tried and proven through its racing heritage, KONI has applied this knowledge to all the different types of shock absorbers available today.
SPORT AND RACING
KONI’s Sport and Tuning shocks have been engineered and tested to perform with the characteristics of your specific car. Single adjustable, double adjustable, non-adjustable; KONI offers tuned performance and exceptional handling, for sporty road driving, through to track days as well as circuit and drag racing.
In addition to racing shocks, KONI Australia offers coil over components. These parts enable the experienced mechanic to build their own coil over dampers to suit their individual application. Follow this link to see the coil over catalogue – https://tinyurl.com/KONI-Toperformance
PERFORMANCE
KONI’s for optimal performance. Whether you want the best of both worlds – maximum road handling and comfort – or it’s about improving your classic or modern car, KONI Special Active and KONI Classic shock absorbers provide the best performance for your car.
OFF-ROAD
Challenging the dirt? KONI will optimize your 4×4 experience. With the RAID or Heavy Track shock absorbers, no surface is too challenging. Optimum handling, road holding and grip. Every application is specially developed from high quality materials for maximum performance. For Australia’s gravel roads, outback tracks and mountain trails, KONI has created an all-terrain shock absorber that is built tough. Well-known outback tour operators, Moon Tours, have fitted and highly recommend KONI on their vehicles. After years of punishing many other brands, Moon Tours find KONI withstand the harsh Australian terrain the best.
With a diverse range and application specific options, KONI’s quality has outlasted and outperformed the competition for decades.
When the time comes for you to consider which shock absorber to fit to your customers, or your own vehicle, go with the one that knows… KONI.
Toperformance is the sole Australian distributor of KONI dampers and can be contacted on (03) 8687 1785 or at toperformance.com.au