KTM

The KTM X-Bow has been under constant evolution since its inception back in 2008. The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer has been working closely with a handful of suppliers that helped turn the X-Bow into a better and better track machine as years went by.

Today, we’re having a look at the GTX, the latest and most hardcore version of the KTM X-Bow. And yeah, it’s a full carbon-fiber affair this one.

It’s been ten years since KTM launched the X-Bow, and to this day, we in the U.S. still haven’t had the chance to enjoy the track-day racer. But that’s finally about to change because, at long last, the X-Bow is coming to America. The only caveat is that the Austrian track-day roadster will only be available for track driving.

Launched back in 2008, the X-Bow (pronounced "crossbow") is KTM’s only automobile to date. In 2015, the Austrian firm introduced the GT4, a closed cockpit version of the X-Bow built in cooperation with Reiter Engineering, one of Germany’s most important racing teams. Considered to be a pioneer vehicle of the GT4 category, the X-Bow GT4 has scored numerous victories and titles in the GT4 European Series, Pirelli World Challenge, VLN, China GT, Thailand Superseries, and Australian GT in less than four years. Come 2018 and KTM is updating the race car for the upcoming motorsport season.

While exterior changes are rather mild and the cabin carries over unchanged, save for a few new techy bits, the X-Bow GT4 boasts many new features under the skin. There is a new transmission and some new chassis components, all designed to increase performance, increase mileage, and reduce running costs. "Although we already have a GT4 vehicle that offers one of the best values for money – just take a look at the VLN where there’s no other car that runs faster lap times for less money – we want to further reduce the costs for the teams and the drivers with these updates," said Reiter Engineering boss Hans Reiter.

So what’s new for 2018? Keep reading to find out.

Continue reading to learn more about the KTM X-Bow GT4.

Launched in 2008 by Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM, the X-Bow is the company’s first actual car. A competitor for the likes of Caterham Seven and Ariel Atom, the X-Bow is a lightweight, street-legal sports car that weighs less than 800 kg (1,763 pounds). It was built around a chassis developed by Dallara and uses an Audi engine to move about. The turbocharged four-cylinder is offered in three configurations, each powering a different model. The lineup includes the X-Bow R, the X-Bow RR, and the X-Bow GT. After eight years of soldiering on unchanged, the Austrian sports car received a minor facelift for the 2017 model year.

The upgrade was announced just as the 1,000th X-Bow rolled of the assembly line during a special ceremony at the company’s factory. The facelift doesn’t bring many changes to the sports car, but it’s a great way for KTM to mark an important benchmark in the X-Bow’s career. Granted, 1,000 units might not mean much to mainstream manufacturers, but it’s an important achievement for a niche vehicle.

"A success story in so many ways. This was of course a steep learning curve for us, in part due to the global economic crisis that started when the product was launched. However, after selling 1,000 cars to many delighted and enthusiastic customers, the KTM X-BOW cannot be seen as anything other than a success story – especially in purely economic terms!" said KTM CEO Stefan Pierer.

The so-called facelift also brings important news in the availability department. For the first time since its introduction, the X-Bow will be sold in North America starting in 2017, when KTM will have a subsidiary and a network of dealers in both the United States and Canada.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 KTM X-Bow R.

The KTM X-Bow is now ready to make its full-body debut in the U.S. after KTM Sportcar CEO Stefan Pierer announced the company’s plan to launch shipments of the X-Bow to North America in the spring of 2017. The X-Bow has technically been available as a kit car since 2011 because it didn’t meet federal crash standards, but Pierer’s announcement is still a significant milestone for the company as it marks the first time KTM will be able to offer turn-key versions of the X-Bow, complete with all of its mechanical.

Pierer added that the base model X-Bow R will be used as the version of which U.S.-bound X-Bow models will be based on. The Austrian company also plans to create a North American subsidiary and a small exclusive dealership network to handle the track car’s introduction into a new market.

KTM is laying out these plans in anticipation of the X-Bow’s arrival and, while there is a lot of optimism that the track car will make an impression in the U.S. and Canada, the company is under no illusion that it will sell like ice cream on a hot summer day. According to Pierer, KTM expects to sell just 15 cars in the U.S. in 2017 and another 30 to 40 more in 2018 – well short of the traditional sales numbers associated to track cars of this type.

Those who have yet to buy the kit car versions of the X-Bow now have the option of skipping through the laborious task of piecing all the parts of the kit car together in favor of just buying a turn-key version. Neither Stefan Pierer nor KTM itself discussed the specific plans of the launch, but for those who have waited five long years to see a fully built X-Bow go on sale in the U.S. market, the door is now open. Don’t be too late deciding though, because from the looks of things, there aren’t that many units expected to come here.

Continue reading for the full story.

Track cars like the KTM X-Bow are built for a specific purpose. Nobody’s going to use these cars for anything other than setting blistering lap times around whatever race track they find themselves in. Those who are familiar with KTM know that the Austrian company plies its trade in the motorcycle business. But in the past few years, KTM has also ventured into the world of four wheels, and no product has been as positively received as the X-Bow GT, the range-topping trim of the X-Bow lineup.

The new KTM X-Bow GT, which is being sold in Europe through German tuner Wimmer RS, is already being lined up as the next great track day toy. While it retains the looks of its predecessor, the new X-Bow GT is a different breed altogether. For starters, it has a new engine that supplies more power, thus enabling the 1,867-pound pocket rocket to be even more ferocious on the track. More ferocity equals more fun, and there’s no question that the new X-Bow GT fits the bill of a spectacular track car that can make even the most seasoned of drivers scream to the high heavens.

Since Wimmer RS is a sales partner of the KTM X-Bow GT, the German tuner usually comes up with an aftermarket program for the track car. Judging by its past tuning kits, including a recent one for the X-Bow R back in November 2015, Wimmer RS will have an action-packed kit prepared for the X-Bow GT. You can take that to the bank.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

As modern-day track toys go, power and weight are the two critical ingredients in building the perfect track racer. The KTM X-Bow already has the power to go with being very lightweight so by its sheer existence, it’s already fit to do some serious damage on the race track. But Wimmer RST has a better proposal. Why not add more power to the X-Bow and also make it lighter? Seems like a good idea, right?

Well, that’s exactly what the German tuner did with its new program for the X-Bow. The kit itself covers a lot of bases to help the track car improve on numerous fronts. For instance, Wimmer installed a carbon fiber aero kit to shave off precious weight off of the car. It also beefed up the racer’s suspension setup, and most importantly, it was able to squeeze out extra power out of the X-Bow’s 2.0-liter turbo four engine.

The result certainly speaks for itself. That massive rear wing on the X-Bow is both a treat to eyes and to the car’s overall performance character. It’s only fitting that Wimmer is responsible for this kit. The tuner, after all, is the German retail partner and type A dealer of KTM Sportcar GmbH. Working on the X-Bow is old hat for the Wimmer. After all, it’s already done a couple of programs for the KTM racer.

The only thing different about this version, called the X-Bow R Limited Edition, is that only three of them will be built. That’s called exclusive with a capital ’E’.

Continue reading to learn more about the KTM X-Bor R By Wimmer RST.

Established in 1934, KTM is one of the world’s most renown motorcycle manufacturers, with products ranging from street bikes to off-road and racing two-wheelers. Recent years, however, saw KTM enter sports car manufacturing, giving the auto industry a solid competitors for the likes of the Caterham Seven. Thus the X-Bow was born, an ultra-light vehicle with a turbocharged Audi engine mounted behind its seats. Weighing less than 1,800 pounds, the X-Bow spawned many iterations and even a couple of race cars, including an FIA-homologated GT4 track car. In 2015, seven years since its inception, the X-Bow enters a new era as KTM, together with Reiter Engineering, is developing a new racer that will be available to customers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Unlike its GT4-spec predecessor, the still-unnamed race car features a closed cockpit and a conventional hood atop its mid-mounted engine. The track-exclusive machine remains recognizable as an X-Bow when viewed from the front, but the concept is entirely different from what we’ve seen from KTM in the past. Details are still scarce as of 12/18/2014, with only a few specs and teaser photos revealing some of the styling. However, KTM did announce the race car is being developed in conjunction with Reiter Engineering, and that’s pretty big news.

If you’re not familiar with the racing scene, Reiter Engineering is responsible for the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 and the Murcielago GT1 race car, among other vehicles. The German team even went so far as to create a GT3 version of the Chevrolet Camaro. Reiter is also one of the very few racing crews to develop a track version of the Lamborghini Diablo. Need I say more? I do actually, because Reiter Engineering is also the company responsible for the KTM X-Bow GT4, which won the Supersport category for lighter cars against competition from Donkervoort and Lotus.

Updated 02/11/2015: KTM revealed the first official image of its new X-Bow GT4 and announced the model will be put on sale in April at a price of €139,000 - or about $157,000 at the current exchange rates.

Click past the jump to read more about the KTM X-Bow Racecar.

With its 285 horsepower offered from the factory, the KTM X-Bow GT is considered by most experts as one of the coolest variants of the X-Bow lineup. But lets face it, 285 ponies is not a number that really quickens the pulse, so it was time for some major improvement.

This is where German tuner Wimmer RS came into and released a flat-out stunning upgrade kit for the KTM X-Bow GT. The tuner decided that the car’s 2.0-liter, TSFI four-engine needed some serious improvements, and it stepped up to the plate with a list of upgrades that turned the Xbow GT into a lightweight supercar killer.

The updates include a especially designed turbocharger, a new sports exhaust system with a 100-cell sports cat with Y-pipe, a high-pressure fuel pump, a pre-feed fuel pump, a sportive suction system and a special water pump to keep things cool. Rounding out the mods its the required ECU to keep it all working flawlessly.

With this laundry list of updates installed, the GTs’ output is now 435 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 368 pound-feet of torque at 2.860 rpm. As a result, the GT now hits a top speed of 153 mph, sprints to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, and launches to 120 mph in just 11.7 seconds.

Click past the jump to read more about the KTM X-BOW GT by Wimmer RS.

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The Geneva Motor Show is considered one of the biggest auto shows in the calendar year. So, if you’re an Austrian automaker looking to follow up and introduce the next generation model of your track sports car, you’d pick Geneva as the ideal venue to debut your new vehicle, right?

That appears to be the thinking KTM has after word has come out that they’re planning to preview the next-generation X-Bow in Geneva. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to a lot of people, especially when you consider that it’s about time a successor to the X-Bow arrived.

Plus, there have been plenty of rumors surrounding this said successor, which, by the way, is penciled in as the X-Bow GT. So with the biggest auto show on the horizon, the time seems appropriate for the folks over at KTM to finally put all the whispers at ease and bring the X-Bow GT to the forefront.

Updated 03/03/2013: KTM has revealed additional details on the X-Bow GT, including the much anticipated engine details.

Find out more about the KTM X-Bow GT after the jump

It looks like the new GT version is just the first step into the future for the KTM X-Bow. At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, KTM CEO, Stefan Pierer, announced that in a few years the X-Bow will be offered with the same 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine you now see in the Audi TT-RS.

KTM is already running the first prototypes that carry 335 horsepower and it is expecting to upgrade the engine to a total of 480 horsepower - a significant upgrade over the current 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower – in the future. The engine will be combined with a new, twin-clutch gearbox.

KTM will initially test the new engine in a series of racecars, and, if the engine gets the production green light, a road-going version will follow shortly.

KTM expects to see around 100 X-Bow units sold in 2013, with the possibility to increase sales to around 200 units a year.

As reported earlier this year, the next generation KTM X-Bow will bringimportant changes to its design. For the first time ever, the KTM X-Bow will get doors and windscreen.

Fortunately, as we wait for this roofed version we still have the X-Bow and all it has to offer us, particularly theRR version. KTM is now reminding us just how much the X-Bow RR has to offer, as an one managed to lap the famous Nordschleife circuit in just 7:25.72 minutes. By comparison, the fastest ever lap on the Nordschleife achieved by a KTM X-Bow was 8:10 by a 240-horsepower "Club Sport" version.

"We had a lot of wind and very little grip – but we have to hold something back for next year, don’t we? I’m thrilled with the car. The Audi engine is also a stunner that offers any amount of torque. But the rest of the car is also great. The suspension works perfectly and you notice that the X-Bow is lighter than most other cars when you go into every corner. This makes twice as much sense on the technically demanding Nordschleife! In any case the lap time is amazing. I think it shows how good the X-BOW really is because the Nordschleife doesn’t allow for any random good lap times. Here it’s always very tough, whenever you’re here!" said Christopher Haase after scoring this impressive result.

The 2012 Summer Olympics are in full swing now and medals are quickly adding up. We started wondering what about the varying cars of the world? There is no auto racing in the Olympics and a love of awesome cars is one thing that is shared throughout the entire world. So why not include them?

Here at Topspeed, we felt it was time to give our 4-wheeled friends a fair chance and display the top supercars from each of the countries participating in the 2012 Summer Games – those that produce supercars. So let’s have a look at what these countries have to offer. You may be surprised to find out what countries produce some awesome supercars and what ones don’t produce any at all.

We stand to learn a lot about the world of supercars while putting this piece together, so we are certain you will learn a ton right along with us.

Click past the jump to read our entire list and check out our full infographic.

No one has ever accused the KTM X-bow of being a feature-heavy luxury car. In fact, there are numerous little features that KTM completely missed. You know, things like – ummm – a roof maybe. With the X-bow being touted as more of a race car than a road car, this is pretty much acceptable, except when you’re participating in a 6-hour endurance race in the pouring rain.

That’s exactly what happened in the above video. In the middle of a 6-hour-long endurance race, where there appeared to be two KTM X-bows participating, the bottom dropped out of a pretty intense rain storm and we can only guess what the drivers were thinking as they saw the dark clouds rolling in.

That’s one of those times where you debate just retiring after every rain-soaked lap, but your dedication forces you to finish the race regardless. It’s apparent that the two X-bow drivers certainly had some drive to finish the race, as they weathered the storm – pun definitely intended – and continued through the pouring rain.

Fortunately, there was a spectator in the relatively empty stands that filmed the ordeal, so at least the drivers had some documentation to prove how dedicated to their craft they really are. The video’s not too awful exciting, but it at least lets you see that this wasn’t any little sprinkle of rain.

Check out the video and see if you would have kept going or just headed to the pits for a warm cocoa and a towel.

The KTM X-Bow is a n aggressively designed sports car geared towards being light as possible. In fact, many of the vehicle’s exterior and interior components are vacant to save weight. Well, that design may have brought out some setbacks for KTM because some customers were not too pleased with the layout. For the next generation X-Bow, the company will be adding both the doors and the windscreen previously left out of the look.

The announcement for these additions was made by Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM AG, in an interview with Top Gear. He said that the company is currently trying to find a solution for this new layout because adding a windscreen to the car creates lots of homologation compliance issues. In order to offer the windscreen, the company also needs a heating system to de-mist it, doors to allow easier access to the cockpit, windscreen wipers, and much more.

Initially, KTM wanted to add a bubble roof, but because this would have caused even more homologation problems, they have opted for a windscreen plus a temporary ’cruising home parasol’ that can be used up to speeds of 80 mph.

The next X-Bow will even try to assault the LMP2 category at Le Mans, most likely using a five-cylinder engine under the hood, and not the current four-cylinder engine.

Monaco is pretty well known as the land of supercars, as it has arguably the highest concentration of supercars roaming its streets than any other country in the world. With all of these supercars, it makes life a little difficult for law enforcement to catch speeders. Often times, cars are simply flagged down by foot patrol officers, because Monaco officials know that chasing down a high-powered Lamborghini is fruitless.

Another thing about Monaco, which we know from the Grand Prix of Monaco, is that its roads are chock-full of crazy twists and turns, so agility may be even more important than overall speed. So what are the Monaco Police to do when they finally decide it is time for a crackdown on these crazy drivers? Well, buy one of the most lightweight and agile supercars in the world, the KTM X-Bow R by MTM, of course.

This MTM-tuned KTM X-Bow R pumps out a low-for-a-supercar 400 horsepower from its 2.0-liter engine. It makes up for this relative lack of power by being the Calista Flockhart of supercars and weighing only 1,700 lbs. To give you a better idea of how awesome this car is, it only has 4.25 lbs per horsepower, which is drastically better than that Lamborghini Aventador’s 4.96 lbs per horsepower and the Ferrari 599 GTB’s flabby 6 lbs per horsepower.

The only supercar to beat the KTM X-Bow R by MTM in weight-to-power is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which comes in at 4.15 lbs per horsepower. Now that is some impressive company to be in.

If you still don’t believe us that the KTM X-Bow R by MTM is the car to be chasing down supercar speeders in Monaco, have a look at the video of the police testing it after the jump. That should be plenty to convince you that it is one bad-ass supercar killer.

The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event where members of Formula One, World Rally Championship, NASCAR, sportscars, and touring cars race to the finish line in hopes of being crowned number one. The 2011 ROC marked the 24th year running of the race, held in Düsseldorf, Germany’s Esprit Arena. The event ended with Sébastien Ogier claiming his first individual ROC crown. The Nations Cup went to Team Germany’s which consisted of Formula One stars Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

Cars like the Audi R8 LMS and the KTM X-Bow were the stars of the event, and this video provides the opportunity to see some of the greatest moments from the ROC.

"I’m so happy," said Ogier in an interview with Autoweek. "It was a very nice weekend, and it was already great to be in the final at my first time. There are a lot of cars to learn here and the track as well. But I didn’t do too badly, and I pushed hard all the way. Tom is a really good driver, but to win this race is amazing."

Unless you’re Michael Stoschek and have a Ferrari F430 Scuderia turned Lancia Stratos to play in, chances are you won’t be able to ride in a brand new Lancia Stratos for anything short of an arm and leg.

But all that’s about to change thanks to the people over at Montenergy.

The Italian tuning firm has come up with a body kit for the KTM X-Bow called the "Stratosferica." The name alone illustrates the tuning firm’s ultimate goal; to make a Stratos from the more affordable street-homologated sports car. This transformation was achieved by putting a top on the once top-less track car and giving it the look, depending on how trained your eyes are to detail, of a Lancia Stratos.

On top of the body kit, Montenergy is also offering a performance boost for the X-Bow, one that takes the output of its Audi-sourced 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine from the standard 237 horsepower to 310 ponies. For information’s sake, that’s more powerful than the most powerful X-Bow - the 300-horsepower X-Bow R - in the market.

The whole enchilada of modifications will set you back €12,000, which is about $17,000 based on current exchange rates. Add that to the base price of $88,500 for the KTM X-Bow and the whole shebang will set you back about $105,500. Considering that, as of right now, that’s one of the only options for a brand new "Stratos-like" vehicle, the price isn’t all that steep. Even if rumors are true and a limited run of Stoschek’s new Lancia Stratos are produced - not likely, but stranger things have happened - it would cost around $545,000. That makes this tuning package for the KTM X-Bow that much better.

Videos of the car can be found after the jump