KTM has performed well during the X-Bow's campaign in the European GT4 Sports Light series, winning the championship in its inaugural season. In fact, the KTM X-Bow claimed the top three spots at the end of the 18-round series, and in the process, KTM's first four-wheeled street racer managed to beat out a slew of Donkervoorts and Lotuses. German X-Bow driver Christopher Haase piloted the KaTooM to a number of victories and won the driver's championship in the process. Somewhat amazingly, the angular little orange and black roadster was even able to pick on much larger and more powerful competition, like Aston Martins, Ford Mustangs and Corvettes. We think it's fair to call the X-Bow a success for KTM, which now looks forward to bigger and better things. Up next is an even faster version of its racer as well as a range of city cars and off-roaders. Lest we should forget where the company's roots are, there are plenty of new sporting two-wheelers in the pipeline as well.
Americans may be more familiar with the International Race of Champions, IROC for short, due to that race's popularity in the '80s and '90s and for the Chevy Camaros and Dodge Daytonas affixed with the badge. In the rest of the world, though, the more popular series is called the Race of Champions, but the idea is the same. Take top drivers from various racing leagues and pit them in similar cars against each other on a number of different race tracks. This year, the ROC's organizers are testing a bunch of cars to be used for the next event, including the track-ready KTM X-Bow and a wild-sounding contraption that uses twin Suzuki Hayabusa engines driving all four wheels. The actual race will take place in London at Wembley Stadium on December 14 and will feature Tom Kristensen (Team Scandinavia), Michael Schumacher (Team Germany), Sébastien Loeb (Team France), Andy Priaulx (Team Autosport Great Britain), Troy Bayliss (Team Australia), Mattias Ekström (Team Scandinavia), Jenson Button (Team Autosport Great Britain), Mark Webber (Team Australia) and Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany).
It was bound to happen, but it hurts nonetheless. The KTM X-Bow is hot off the presses, and it didn't take long for some brand new ones to show up on the 'Ring in Germany with their new owners behind the wheel. That hallowed circuit has led to the demise of more than a few machines, not to mention their drivers, and will inevitably continue to claim casualties as racers test their skills on its winding asphalt. The latest victim is one of the aforementioned German-powered, Austrian-built sportscars from KTM. According to reports, the car spent some time skidding on two wheels -- fitting considering KTM's motorcycle heritage -- before meeting the barrier and coming to an involuntary halt. Fortunately, it appears as if the carbon-heavy structure did its job well and protected the owner and passenger. It breaks the heart, but rest assured, it won't be the last. Click on the cropped pic for full-size shots of the carnage.
Although KTM has been making motorcycles since 1934, it's new to the car business. Evidently, no one told them that if you're going to go back on something you said in the auto business, it's supposed to be really disappointing. Instead, KTM has announced its intention to bring the X-Bow track car to the United States and make it street-legal to boot, despite previously saying that the X-Bow would only be sold in Europe and Asia and that it would be confined to the track. The announcement was made by KTM sales and marketing chief Hubert Trunkenpolz at the recent annual gathering of KTM bike dealers from across North America in Salt Lake City, Utah. Apparently the company has received some 600+ requests from American KTM dealers for the X-Bow to make the transatlantic trip. Trunkenpolz (now we just like saying Trunkenpolz) noted that they will need cooperation from Volkswagen/Audi, who supplies the running gear, and from local authorities, but that the company "will do whatever is possible to bring the car to the U.S. – that, I promise."
Back in April, fellow Autoblogger Chris Tutor caught the Veritas RS3 heading out onto the Nurburgring for a photoshoot. Today, Chris took a brief break from his day-job to see what he could spy on the 'Ring's webcam and found the same trio of lightweight, track-tools that dance in our minds when we hit REM sleep. A Lotus 211, a KTM X-Bow and an Ariel Atom were all getting ready for their close-ups at the entrance to the Green Hell, likely a feature story for a European buff. There's no way to tell who's doing the shooting, but don't be surprised if a video begins floating around YouTube of the three track toys in the next couple of months. We'll keep an eye out.
As previously reported, KTM plans to expand its offerings beyond the X-Bow, with the introduction of a duo of new city cars and a lightweight off-roader. But KTM isn't content with leaving the X-Bow alone. When the Geneva Motor Show rolls around next March, the newest entrant into the four-wheeled world will get a healthy boost in output courtesy of the Audi S3's 261 hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged FSI engine. According to Autocar, the more powerful model could be joined later by a new variant sporting a full windshield and a removable roof, making the case for the X-Bow more compelling and allowing KTM to take aim at traditional track toys.
In just under a month, KTM will be campaigning two race-prepped versions of the X-Bow in the FIA GT4 European Cup Sports Light class, and the purveyor of our newest track tool obsession has finally released images of its race-ready X-Bow. As detailed before, the GT4 version only receives a few modifications for track duty, including a steel rollover bar that replaces the production model's aluminum units, some added zylon fibers to cope with road debris, modified wheel covers and a Sparco integrated impact-absorbing head restraint system. Aside from those few safety-regulated changes, it's the same X-Bow you'll be able to pick up when sales begin this summer -- right after the GT4 version debuts at Silverstone on April 20th with Loris Bicocchi and Catharina Felser behind the wheel.
A year ago, we had our first formal introduction to the KTM X-Bow concept. After a scant 12 months, the famed motorcycle manufacturer has officially unveiled the production version of the X-Bow, and over 2,000 people have lined up to get their hands on one of the most driver-focused vehicles to be released since the introduction of the Ariel Atom.
Not much has changed from the original concept. The same Audi-sourced, 220 hp TFSI four-cylinder engine is mounted out back and with only 1,500 pounds holding the carbon fiber track tool back, the sprint to 60 comes up in 3.9 seconds. KTM has smoothed out some of the rough edges, including the exhaust/intake systems, added a fully adjustable suspension and tweaked the bodywork and cockpit, but it's still minimalist motoring at its finest. Back in 2007 we called it better than the best rollercoaster around, and one year later, we're sticking with that assessment.
The unveiling of the production KTM X-Bow is just a week away, but the biker builder has bigger plans to expand its foray into four-wheeled conveyances. KTM's head honcho, Stefan Pierer, has revealed to CAR that the future of the X-Bow will include five different versions of the lightweight roadster, and that KTM is looking to take on Lotus as a manufacturer of specialty performance vehicles.
With over 2,000 orders for the X-Bow already placed, KTM has a hit on its hands. So aside from the base model and a race-spec version that will be campaigned in the FIA GT4 lightweight class, KTM also plans to offer another road-going variant that will be sporting a set of doors and a roof. From there, it's looking to upgrade the stock mill with a 330-hp V6 pulled from the Audi S3, and since the architecture of the X-Bow has been designed from the onset to handle the rigors away from the tarmac, an off-road version is underway that may compete in the Dakar Rally.
Customers have been anxiously awaiting the delivery of their track-ready X-Bows, and with pre-orders growing by the day, KTM plans to reward the first 1000 buyers with the special-edition Dallara Series.
The limited edition model, as we reported previously, will be finished in "Gleaming White" paint instead of the bright orange we'd been seeing beforehand, and named for the Italian racing chassis manufacturer with which KTM partnered for the X-Bow's development. Unfortunately, even after its debut at the Autosport Internantional show in Birmingham (in England, not Alabama), KTM still hasn't released the technical details that set the Dallara Series apart from the subsequent "ordinary" models that will follow, however sources indicate that all the juicy details will finally be revealed at the Geneva show, so stay tuned.
