KTM X-Bow
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The KTM X-Bow (pronounced ''
crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...
'') is an ultra-light
sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...
manufactured by Austrian automotive manufacturer KTM, a company known for their production of
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
s. The X-Bow was the first mass-produced car in their product range and was unveiled and launched at the
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...
in 2008. The X-Bow road car was developed in collaboration with KISKA,
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
, and
Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...
.


Specifications

KTM developed its X-Bow road cars in collaboration with design studio KISKA,
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
, and
Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...
. It uses a
carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
monocoque. The X-Bow uses a 2.0-litre transversely-mounted
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
inline-4 engine A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...
from Audi that produced at 5,500 rpm and of torque between 2,000 and 5,500 rpm. In the X-Bow R model for 2011 and for other models onwards, the Audi inline-4 is further tuned to produce and of torque at 3,300 rpm. Two transmission options were available for the X-Bow; a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed Holinger twin-clutch DSG sequential manual. The front tyres are 205/45 ZR17 and the rear tyres are 235/40 ZR18. The X-Bow features
Brembo Brembo N.V. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive parts that most notably produces braking systems, for high-performance cars and for the sim racing series Gran Turismo. Its operational head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy, while Amst ...
brakes with diameter discs at the front and diameter discs at the rear. The X-Bow was capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is 217 km/h (134.9 mph). For the GTX, GT2 Concept, and GT-XR models, the X-Bow uses a 2.5-litre
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
TFSI 20-valve I5 engine sourced from the Audi RS3. Originally, KTM planned a production of 500 units per year; however, the company increased production to 1,000 cars a year and built a new plant near
Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...
due to high demand.


Models

The first iteration of the KTM X-Bow was unveiled at the 2008
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...
. There have since been a number of models made available since the X-Bow's release.


X-Bow R

The X-Bow R is an updated version of the original X-Bow. The car's Audi inline-4 is more powerful than the older X-Bow it replaces, tuned to produce and . The X-Bow R was later made available for the United States market in 2019, and it was released as the KTM X-Bow Comp R. However, unlike the standard X-Bow, the Comp R is not street-legal and is exclusively a track-only car.


X-Bow RR

The X-Bow RR is a high-performance version of the X-Bow.


X-Bow GT

The X-Bow GT is a slightly more refined version of the X-Bow. The car contains a windscreen and side windows for the driver and passenger. The car has the same power output as the standard model and uses a 6-speed manual. The weight is slightly heavier at due to the addition of the windscreen and windows, resulting in a slightly slower time of 4.1 seconds, as well as a different weight distribution ratio of 38:62. The ride height is 10 mm higher. The car's aerodynamics have also been decreased. The X-Bow GT provides luggage with 50 litres of capacity, and its center console has been changed to accommodate climate control, windscreen wiper adjustment, and a windscreen washer and heating system.


X-Bow GTX

The X-Bow GTX is a longer wheelbase track-only race car version released in October 2020, manufactured in collaboration with Reiter Engineering. Aesthetically, the design is very different to the standard X-Bow. The car uses a different engine to the standard X-Bow, making use of a 2.5-litre
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
TFSI 20-valve I5 engine sourced from the Audi RS3. The 6-speed Holinger sequential transmission and carbon fiber monocoque are retained. The inline-5 engine receives a number of upgrades for racing, including upgrades to the engine management system, injection valves, waste gate, intake, and exhaust. The fuse box comes from Reiter's subsidiary company Sareni United. It also comes with fully electric power steering.


X-Bow GT-XR

The X-Bow GT-XR is a long wheelbase model of the X-Bow based on the GTX and GT2 track-only race car models, built in a collaborative effort with Reiter Engineering. The car maintains the 2.5-litre
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
TFSI 20-valve I5 from the GTX, now producing and of torque, with power delivered through a 7-speed DSG gearbox. The GT-XR also contains a fuel tank. As a result of the car's more refined construction in comparison with the shorter wheelbase X-Bow models, it is the heaviest car in the lineup, with a dry weight of with a 44:56 ratio for weight distribution. Its factory time is 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of . It costs €284,900.


Motorsport

The KTM X-Bow has been the selected car for use in the
Race of Champions The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event held at the start or end of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers from Formula One, World Rally Championship, IndyCar, NASCAR, sports car racin ...
all-star event since
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. The KTM X-Bow Battle race series started in 2010 and was a support event for the
DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Data Transfer ...
German Touring Car series at Adria Raceway in 2010 and
Lausitzring The Lausitzring (formally known as the Dekra Lausitzring for ownership reasons) is a race track located near Klettwitz (a civil parish of Schipkau, Oberspreewald-Lausitz district) in the state of Brandenburg in northeast Germany, near the bord ...
in 2011. Marcus Clutton and Phil Keen won the Supersports category with a modified X-Bow in the 2009 British GT Championship.


SRO GT4

A modified KTM X-Bow was raced in the Supersport category of the 2008 FIA GT4 Championship. Catharina Felser,
Christopher Haase Christopher Haase (born 26 September 1987 in Kulmbach) is a German professional racing driver. He currently competes in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Audi customer team Tresor Attempto Racing. Among his most notable successes a ...
, and Dennis Retera took a podium finish at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
, and pole position in the wet qualifying session at
Nogaro Nogaro (; Gascon: ''Nogaròu'') is a commune in the Gers department, Southwestern France. It is the site of a distillery of Armagnac brandy. Geography The commune is bordered by six other communes: Caupenne-d'Armagnac to the northwest, ...
. Peter Belshaw and Marcus Clutton were the GT4 champions in the 2011 season of the
British GT Championship The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...
in a modified X-Bow. KTM teased a factory GT4 version of the X-Bow in 2014, which they would later unveil in 2015. The X-Bow GT4 was built in collaboration with Reiter Engineering and KISKA. The vehicle features a closed cockpit design to comply with class regulations. It also maintains the 2.0-litre
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
Audi
inline-4 engine A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...
and the 6-speed Holinger sequential transmission, but both are modified for racing. To accommodate the rules and regulations, the wheelbase is extended by 17 cm. The X-Bow GT4 debuted in the 2015 GT4 European Series and took its first win in its debut at the
Circuit Zandvoort Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coas ...
round. It also powered Brett Sandberg to the 2016
Pirelli World Challenge The GT World Challenge America is a North American auto racing series launched in 1990 by the Sports Car Club of America. It has been managed by the SRO Motorsports Group since 2018, and has been sanctioned by the United States Auto Club since 2 ...
GTS Championship with multiple wins. An upgrade was introduced in 2018 with improvements in durability and performance. An evolution model for the X-Bow GT4 was released in 2019 as the X-Bow GT4 Evo. The update was directed towards increasing the car's straight-line speed while maintaining the cornering capabilities of the previous X-Bow GT4. It also received a power increase, now producing under
balance of performance In sports car racing, balance of performance (BoP) is a regulation and mechanism that maintains parity between competing vehicles by adjusting the limits and parameters of a vehicle such as horsepower, weight, engine management, and aerodynamics ...
.


SRO GT2

A SRO GT2 specification race car of the X-Bow was released alongside the GTX model in 2020, which would be unveiled as the X-Bow GT2 Concept. The GT2 Concept is based on the GTX, but is more powerful than its road-going counterpart. It debuted in the 2021 Fanatec GT2 European Series. KTM introduced an Evo kit for the X-Bow in 2025, which featured several upgrades to the car, including an increase in power and improved aero.


Reception

In a March 2012 episode of ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'', presenter
Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), T ...
drove a X-Bow GT around
Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...
circuit in England. He applauded the tyres' grip, saying during a
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
-inspired session of
doughnuts A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franch ...
, "it's like driving on superglue", but both May and Clarkson criticised the complicated procedure needed to start the engine, calling it "idiotic".


In video games

The X-Bow appeared in ''
Gran Turismo 6 ''Gran Turismo 6'' is a 2013 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth main installment and the eleventh overall in the ''Gran Turismo (series), Gran ...
'', '' GT Racing: Motor Academy'', '' Asphalt 6: Adrenaline'' and '' Asphalt 3D''. The X-Bow R model appeared in '' Grid 2'', ''
Grid Autosport ''Grid Autosport'' is a 2014 racing video game developed and published by Codemasters. It was released Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with ports for Linux, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Android (operating system), Android ar ...
'', '' Real Racing 3'', ''
Forza Motorsport 7 ''Forza Motorsport 7'' is a 2017 racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios, serving as the tenth installment in the '' Forza'' series. It was released on Windows 10 and the Xbox One family of consoles on ...
'', ''
Assetto Corsa ''Assetto Corsa'' (Italian for "Race Setup") is a sim racing video game developed by the Italian video game developer, Kunos Simulazioni. It is designed with an emphasis on a realistic racing experience with support for extensive customization a ...
'', '' CSR Racing 2'', ''
The Crew 2 ''The Crew 2'' is a 2018 racing video game developed by List of Ubisoft subsidiaries#Ubisoft Ivory Tower, Ubisoft Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. It is the sequel to 2014's ''The Cre ...
'', '' The Crew: Motorfest'', ''
Gran Turismo 6 ''Gran Turismo 6'' is a 2013 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth main installment and the eleventh overall in the ''Gran Turismo (series), Gran ...
'', ''
Gran Turismo Sport ''Gran Turismo Sport'' is a 2017 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the twelfth game in the ''Gran Turismo (series), Gran Turismo'' series. One of ''G ...
'', ''
Gran Turismo 7 ''Gran Turismo 7'' is a 2022 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the eighth main installment and the thirteenth overall in the '' Gran Turismo'' series. It was relea ...
'' and '' Project CARS 2''. The X-Bow GT4 appears in '' Asphalt 8: Airborne'', '' Project CARS 2'', ''
Forza Horizon 4 ''Forza Horizon 4'' is a 2018 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on 2 October 2018 for Windows and Xbox One after being announced at Xbox's E3 2018 conference. An enhanced versio ...
'',''
Assetto Corsa ''Assetto Corsa'' (Italian for "Race Setup") is a sim racing video game developed by the Italian video game developer, Kunos Simulazioni. It is designed with an emphasis on a realistic racing experience with support for extensive customization a ...
''.,
Forza Horizon 5 ''Forza Horizon 5'' is a 2021 racing game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the fifth ''Forza Horizon'' title and twelfth main instalment in the ''Forza'' series. The game is set in a fictionalised represen ...
, Asphalt 9: Legends and in Need for Speed: No Limits. The X-Bow GT2 appears in
Assetto Corsa Competizione ''Assetto Corsa Competizione'' (Italian language, Italian for "race setup", "competition") is a sim racing video game developed by Italy, Italian video game developer Kunos Simulazioni. The game focuses on Group GT3, GT3, :de:Gruppe GT4, GT4, SRO ...
.


Awards and recognition

The X-Bow won the Sports Car of the Year award from British motoring show ''Top Gear'' in 2008''.''


See also

* Polaris Slingshot *
Ariel Atom The Ariel Atom is a road-legal high performance open-wheel car made by the British Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England, and under license in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alto ...


References


Notes


Further reading

*


External links

{{commons category, KTM X-Bow
KTM X-Bow official website

KTM X-Bow R Exterior and Interior in 3D 4K UHD
KTM vehicles First car made by manufacturer 2010s cars Cars introduced in 2008 Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Open wheel cars