The company was founded in 1864, and was originally a gun maker and later in the 19tyh century moved into manufacturing bicycles. They later started manufacture of powered vehicles in the 1920s. The first tractor related vehicle was a Motor-plough built under license from Laurin & Clement of Czechoslovakia. the first tractor entered limited production in 1930, based on a Fordson design. By 1965 Steyr had built 160,000 tractors. and remained independent until 1996 when taken over by Case IH