The X-Bow GT-XR is only the second road-legal car released by KTM
Austrian manufacturer launches second road-legal car, following the open-top X-Bow
Car and bike maker KTM has launched a road-legal version of its title-winning X-Bow GT2 race car, complete with a super-lightweight 80kg chassis and 493bhp powerplant.
Called the X-Bow GT-XR, this low-volume lightweight will rival the likes of the Dallara Stradale and Radical Rapture. It is the Austrian firm’s second road-legal car after the open-top KTM X-Bow, which has been sold in various forms since 2008.
The GT-XR shares much of its underpinnings with the GT2 race car and, fundamentally, it is based around the same Dallara-designed 80kg carbonfibre monocoque as the original X-Bow, which, KTM says, “has been tried and tested in a dozen crashes since 2008”. For the hard-top car, it’s paired with an FIA-approved steel roll cage, which leaves kerb weight at 1130 kg.
A jet fighter-style canopy lid made of carbonfibre provides access to the cabin. Small glass windows at the side can also be fully opened. Inside, the same removable racing-style steering wheel as the GT2 is fitted.
The GT-XR also shares the racing car’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, albeit detuned from the GT2 racer’s 600bhp and 531lb ft. It is no slouch, though, with the rear-mounted turbocharged powerplant – also used by the Audi RS3 – putting out 493bhp and 429lb ft and reving to 7000rpm.
A lot of that torque can be used at low revs, KTM says, pushing the car to 62mph from standing in 3.4sec, and from 62mph to 124mph in 6.9sec. Speed maxes out at 174mph.
Drive is channelled to the rear axle through a seven-speed sequential gearbox and a limited-slip differential.
Designers have focused heavily on aerodynamics, bringing much of the GT2’s styling to the road-going car. This design also incorporates KTM’s new AirCurtain system, which, it says, is “a world first in a road-legal car”. It has been developed to create an aerodynamic ground effect that helps the car stick to the road.
Prices for the X-Bow GT-XR start at €284,900 (£245,596) before local taxes. The company told Autocar that it remains committed to a 100-car maximum output per year, which includes the X-Bow’s R, RR, GT4, GT, GTX and GT2 variants – as well as the GT-XR.
Source: Autocar
