KTM X-Bow

KTM X-Bow at a glance

KTM, best known for off-road motorcycles, entered the car business with the X-Bow (pronounced "crossbow"). The car has no roof, no doors in the usual sense and, on early versions, no windscreen: the driver steps over the side of the carbon tub. Planned output was 500 cars a year, and when demand proved higher KTM raised capacity and built its own plant near Graz.

The old 1cars text gave a length of 3.67 m and a top speed of 230 km/h; published specifications put the car at 3,738 mm and 217 km/h for the base version.

Engine, gearbox and performance by version

All road X-Bows except the GT-XR use Audi's 2.0-litre TFSI turbo four-cylinder, mounted behind the seats and driving the rear wheels. The base car has 177 kW (240 PS) at 5,500 rpm and 310 Nm. A six-speed manual is standard, and some versions offer a Holinger sequential gearbox.

With 177 kW and 790 kg, the base X-Bow has about 224 kW per tonne by our calculation. That is close to the roughly 219 kW per tonne of a 2006 Porsche 911 GT3 (305 kW, about 1,395 kg), with little more than half its output. The GT-XR, at 368 kW and 1,250 kg, has about 294 kW per tonne. You can check the sums for any car with the power-to-weight calculator. In the 1cars data the base car's 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h places it 20th among the quickest cars (October 2026).

Carbon monocoque, chassis and cabin

The heart of the X-Bow is a carbon-fibre monocoque developed with input from Dallara, the Italian racing car constructor. Suspension uses pushrod-operated dampers at the front, as on a single-seater, and the weight split on the GT is 38:62 front to rear.

Inside, the seats are fixed to the tub, and the pedal box and steering wheel adjust to the driver instead. The steering wheel is small and carries the main controls, with a digital display behind it. There is almost no luggage space on the early roadsters; the GT added a small 50-litre compartment and a windscreen with side windows, which make the car usable for touring in dry weather.

The GT-XR: a closed road car

The GT-XR, announced in August 2022 and shown that September, turned the X-Bow into a closed coupé with a canopy that hinges forward for entry. It uses Audi's 2.5-litre five-cylinder from the RS 3, with 368 kW (500 PS) and 582 Nm, and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. KTM quotes 0–60 mph in 3.4 seconds and 280 km/h. It is heavier than the roadsters at 1,250 kg, with a 95-litre fuel tank for longer trips. The list price was 284,900 EUR, and KTM said only a very small number would be built each year.

Racing record

The X-Bow has been used in the Race of Champions since 2008. In 2008 a modified car ran in the Supersport class of the FIA GT4 European Cup, scoring a podium at Monza and a wet-weather pole at Nogaro. British GT followed: Supersport class honours in 2009 and the GT4 title in 2011. KTM ran its own one-make X-Bow Battle series from 2010. The X-Bow GT4 won at Zandvoort on its 2015 debut in the GT4 European Series, and in 2016 Brett Sandberg won the Pirelli World Challenge GTS title. The GT2 version entered the GT2 European Series in 2021.

Rivals: how the X-Bow compares

Compared with the Ariel Atom, the X-Bow is heavier but more solidly built and safer, with its carbon tub. The Caterham is lighter and more raw. Line up these cars yourself in the comparison tool.

Which KTM X-Bow to buy

• For road use and occasional track days: an X-Bow GT, with windscreen and luggage space.
• For track days: an X-Bow R, which combines the extra power with the light roadster body.
• For collectors: a GT-XR, the most powerful road-legal X-Bow, made in small numbers.

The X-Bow suits a driver who wants a race-car feel in a road-registered car and has somewhere dry to drive it. It is not a car for winter or long rainy trips in its open versions. The story of the motorcycle company behind it is told in the history of KTM, and every X-Bow version in the catalogue is on the KTM brand page.