Brembo History Series (3) The 1980s: Innovation And Growth

From the beginning of the 1980s, Brembo focused on developing innovative products and processes, with a clearly defined strategy of expansion in specialised areas of the market from passenger cars to motorsports and motorcycles. In 1980, the product range was joined by an aluminium brake caliper for automobiles which was revolutionary in both design and the materials used.

This new caliper was gradually adopted by high performance car manufacturers such as Porsche, Mercedes, Lancia, BMW, Nissan and Chrysler.

From the mid 1980s, Brembo decided to extend its operations into the industrial vehicle disc brake segment, becoming a strategic supplier for Iveco, Renault Industrial Vehicles and Mercedes.

In 1983, to give itself a more international scope, Brembo agreed to the acquisition of a share in the company by Kelsey-Hayes, a US based multinational braking systems manufacturer.

The resulting collaboration allowed the Italian management to grow and consolidate itself in preparation for the challenges of the future.

* Emerald Auto Parts is Official Distributor of Brembo.