Horses from Maranello? Steeds from Zuffenhausen? Stars from Stuttgart? Bulls from Sant’Agata? Or rather three letters from Mattighofen? If you want to take on the best, you need to be well prepared. Just like our factory driver Reinhard Koffler, who acquainted himself with the KTM X-BOW RR during the 2012 motorsports season and celebrated incredible successes against supposedly superior opponents. The KTM X-BOW RR is the essence of all the experience that KTM has gained since 2008 in the widest variety of motorsports events around the globe. Tuned uncompromisingly for victory, almost limitlessly customisable, alarmingly fast for its opponents – and still surprisingly affordable. Depending on the configuration level, the "RR" can be the perfect vehicle for KTM's own one-make cup ("KTM X-BOW BATTLE") or an extremely awkward rival for the aforementioned international competitors. Talk to the specialists from our Motorsport department, who do their best to fulfil every customer request – after all, they're always "Ready to Race" as well!

Revolutionary. Puristic. Radical. In the form of the production version of the X-BOW, Austrian manufacturer KTM presented its interpretation of a super sports car for the 21st century in 2008. "We wanted to take Colin Chapman's idea of a spartan, lightweight sports car reduced to the bare essentials and transfer it into the new millennium – with as many technological innovations as possible," says KTM CEO Stefan Pierer.

Together with the specialists at Italian sports car manufacturer Dallara, the composites experts Wethje, the think-tank KTM Technologies and engine partner Audi, what is probably the most exciting super sports car of our times was produced in only 18 months. The extraordinary styling came from Gerald Kiska and the team at Kiska Design, who created an iconic modern sports car.

"Ready to Race" – this not only applies to KTM motorcycles, but also to the X-BOW. When developing the "R", we focussed on improving both performance data and overall performance. Even more extreme, even faster and even more impressive. The result is quite outstanding. The KTM X-BOW R has been designed down to the very last detail as an uncompromising driving machine. Many of the conventional elements aimed purely at comfort have been omitted. Dispensing with a roof and the windscreen as well as the omission of air-conditioning and entertainment systems all takes a little getting used to. But it allows concentration on the most important aspect: the driving experience!

The Geneva International Motor Show, which presents many limited edition models every year, begins on Tuesday. This year KTM is also at the fair, but with a racing car. The new KTM X-BOW GT4, the car that since last year raced from victory to victory in the GT4 Class will be displayed on the stand of lubricant partners MOTOREX. In addition, at the same time as beginning of the big auto show in Switzerland, there is an announcement of a very special and exclusive limited edition model for all KTM X-BOW fans who prefer to be on the road and only go occasionally to the racing circuit.

The KTM X-BOW “BLACK EDITION” sets whole new standards when it comes to the meaning of a “fully carbon fiber vehicle”. In addition to the unique and well-known monocoque, which introduced the rigidity and security of a Formula racing car monocoque into series-production vehicle, this unique model also features all components in high-tech carbon fiber. Whether it is the complete underfloor, which thanks to the KTM X-BOW’s sophisticated aerodynamics helps to achieve the down-force of a Formula racing car, or whether it is the ‘Bonnets’, the so-called body parts at the front and the rear of the vehicle, or naturally also the wheel arches and engine covers.

The comprehensive design of the “BLACK EDITION” takes on the characteristics of the well-known KTM X-BOW GT, but has been further extended with special details. The Sticker Kit, which is mainly located on the side of the monocoque, is unique in its color. The 18” and 19” BBS rims, which are also part of the standard equipment of the special model, are a perfect match. The exclusive fixtures and fittings continue on the interior of the car. Hand-stitched comfort seats with color coordinated stitching and stamped with the “BLACK EDITION” logo on the headrest, a suede leather steering wheel with color-coordinated 12-hour markings and matching stitching, right up to the all-aluminum machined gear and hand brake levers, not to mention the multi-media interface with rear-view camera!

Rounding off the exhaustive range of extra features being offered for the KTM X-BOW “BLACK EDITION” is a black anodized sport exhaust, a quick shifter for quicker gear-changing and a factory engine tuning to 320 hp. As a very clear sign of the exclusivity of this special model, there is an aluminum badge on the center console which states the vehicle production number of this limited special edition and the signature of the employee responsible for the hand-construction of the model. Only five units of the KTM X-BOW GT “BLACK EDITION” are available immediately at a price per unit of €99,000 (excl. VAT). The vehicles can be collected in conjunction with an exclusive factory tour directly from the manufactory in Graz, Austria.

Austrian motorcycle giant KTM has also been a carmaker since 2008. That year, its track-focused and optionally GT4-spec X-Bow debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, only to then be made globally famous by a 2012 episode of Top Gear. Powered by turbocharged Audi engines since day one, the X-Bow is a creation of the design agency KISKA and built in Graz with Dallara's carbon fiber monocoque.

Looking at it from a road-legal standpoint, this ultra-light sports car's starting procedure may indeed be more complex than a pre-war sleeve-valve Voisin C27's. However, the X-Bows equipped with the canopy roofs still remain unique propositions among other track specials, mostly due to having their FIA papers ready for the GT4 class. These two were just some of the KTM X-Bows racing at the 2019 Nürburgring 24 Hours, with 2020's pandemic-edition race also seeing a pair.
After twelve successful years on the market, KTM is now ready to unleash its latest evolution, the also fully enclosed X-Bow GTX. Yet before we would get into the intricate details of this all-carbon fiber race car packing Audi's five-cylinder turbo tuned to 530 horsepower, let's take a look at what racing driver M. Yuste can do in a current X-Bow RR, the even lighter open-top variant powered by Audi's 2.0-liter TFSI engine, designed to compete in KTM's one-make cup:That's some serious speed and grip from this roughly 1,800-pound two-seater.

Keen drivers can expect this, plus a lot more from the new X-Bow GTX, which has been teased back in February, only to arrive now in production-ready form based on a 176-pound carbon fiber Formula 3 monocoque, enhanced by a full-fledged roll cage and a long range 31.7-gallon safety fuel cell. With the FIA's GT homologation rules satisfied, KTM's new race car will start at $270,000.

For that kind of money, the X-Bow GTX will come with a carbon-kevlar competition seat from Recaro and a six-point racing harness from Schroth. Standard is also a fully adjustable carbon fiber steering wheel and the now purely electric power steering, a pedal box that can move nearly 12 inches back and forth, a camera-based rearview mirror system, a MoTec data logger, an electronic fuse box from SaReNi with fuses that can be programmed individually, an eight-way adjustable traction control and Continental's type 3 racing ABS, aero profile suspension pieces milled from steel and aluminum with quick camber adjustment, Sachs racing dampers, six-piston brake calipers and LMP-style electric gear shifters for the six-speed sequential Holinger transmission.

What's more, while the rear frame connected to the carbon fiber monocoque is made of high-strength steel tubes, KTM has also revised the X-Bow's "Jetfighter Canopy." What used to be a one-piece plexiglass piece has evolved into a carbon frame with an inserted windshield and separately opening glass doors on both sides. The front screen is now made of Makrolon to save on replacement costs.

As for Audi's fantastic 2.5-liter five-cylinder TFSI engine, KTM decided to keep it completely stock on the inside, changing only the injection valves, wastegate, intake, and exhaust systems, plus the engine management software. The result is 530 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque in a car weighing only 2,310 pounds.

KTM's Hubert Trunkenpolz is also quick to point out that with its massive fuel cell and relatively low fuel consumption, the X-Bow GTX can stay longer out on track than anything in its class. A class of racing Batmobiles, that is.

Though the brand is more well-known for building motorcycles, the KTM X-Bow (pronounced crossbow) is one of the most outrageous track-focused cars available.

The original X-Bow came to the United States back in 2018, and now we could be getting a more extreme version. KTM was recently spotted testing what our spy photographers say will be a road-legal version of the X-Bow GTX, a $270,000 track-only special with a proper roof and windshield.

This road-going version will be dubbed the X-Bow GT-XR and will use the same mid-mounted 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine as the GTX, sourced from the Audi RS3 and TT RS but tuned by Audi specialists ABT. We now have our first look at the GT-XR, as not only have our spied captured photos of prototypes on the Nurburgring, but KTM has shown us a full-frontal image of the vehicle.

In the GT2 racing version, the Audi-sourced five-pot delivers 600 horsepower. With no homologation requirements to fulfill on the street version, we see no reason why it can't deliver a similar output. Power will go out to the rear wheels only through a seven-speed direct shift gearbox, as a traditional manual would likely be too slow and too hairy for such a potent, lightweight vehicle.

Through extensive use of carbon fiber, the GT2 version only weighs 2,310 pounds. We expect the GT-XR to gain several pounds to make it street-legal, but it will still be incredibly light with an excellent power-to-weight ratio.

Though it will be street-legal, we can't imagine the X-Bow GT-XR will make a compelling daily driver. In lieu of traditional doors, the GT-XR has a glass canopy that opens, allowing occupants to hop inside. Further limiting the comfort, the X-Bow will likely include a six-point racing harness, as a traditional three-point safety belt would leave the driver and passenger flopping around in the corners.

Whether or not KTM will add creature comforts like infotainment or air conditioning is currently unknown. We know that talking about items like air conditioning on a track-focused car seems a bit silly, but would you want to drive around on a 90-degree day without it? Even if it is just to the track?

Then there's a more pressing issue of whether this version of the X-Bow will be available in the US at all. Vehicles like the Polaris Slingshot can get around the strict crash test regulations because they only have three wheels and count as a motorcycle. Since the X-Bow has four wheels, it's treated like a car and needs to have airbags and a crash structure. Though it may be street-legal in other countries, there's a strong chance it won't be here in the US.

With KTM testing a lightly disguised test mule on the Nurburgring, we imagine a reveal is imminent.