KTM X-Bow is coming to America, but you won’t be able to drive it on public roads. Instead, the Austrian
track-oriented roadster will be limited to just that: track driving. And, the motorcycle manufacturer is launching it in a special
specification.
After three quarters of a century making
motorcycles, KTM branched out onto four wheels with the X-Bow 10 years ago. It
solicited the services of Dallara to develop the chassis and sourced the engine
from Audi. The sum total is a mid-engined, open-cockpit performance special
that’s about as extreme as anything else on the road or track, even if it does
only have a four-cylinder engine.
For its first foray into the US market, the X-Bow is
being launched in Comp R spec. It packs a 2.0-liter
turbo four rated at 330 hp and 420 Nm of torque,
mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Weighing all of 780
kg, it’ll hit 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and top out at 232
km/h.
KTM is also offering a
more extreme Comp R 1st Edition. This one uses the same engine tuned to deliver
350 hp and 435 Nm of torque. With a six-speed sequential
transmission, it’ll hit 62 in 3.2 seconds and top out at 241 km/h.
Pictured in white, it also boasts a more aggressive aero package. So it weighs
a little more at 810 kg, but that’s still a good 500-600 pounds
lighter than a Mazda MX-5. And it ought to stay firmly planted to the tarmac.
Both versions will pull over 2G on the skidpad and
have been homologated to Formula S&A standards from the Sports Car Club of
America (SCCA). They’ll be offered through HMC Racing in Wisconsin and ANSA
Motorsports in Florida and, though we’ve yet to see pricing information, KTM
and its partners are set to reveal more at the MotoGP race in Austin, Texas
next week.
