Not a Diels-Alderreaction but a 1,4-hydrovinylation takes place on treatment of 1,3-dienes with functionalized alkenes in the presence of the catalyst system [CoBr2 (dppe)]/ZnI2 /Bu4 NBH4 (dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)ethane). With this reaction the 1,4-dienes with different substituents R1 -R4 can be obtained in high selectivity and good to excellent yields.