KTM X-Bow GT-XR
Discussion
Just got back from a bank holiday away at Nurburgring and see one of these. As a biker I knew KTM dabbled in a car similar to a caterham but this thing was insane... The pictures don't do it justice with the carbon everywhere and roof lifting up like some kind of batmobile
I was fortunate enough to follow him round for a few laps. Bare in mind I'm on a 1100cc Super Naked road Bike there wasn't a great deal more in mine Vs that over 140mph
Where that was VERY fast was mid corner. I can short shift down the straights and wait on the car (I actually open it up and pass at one point for reference then wait for him to go back past me)
I am running a all round road tyre as I rode out there and needed something that was good in cold, wet and could push on for more spirited riding (Bridgestone S22s) which did have a limit to how much I could take the p*ss
Regardless speaking with the team after and the driver I could see this being a true track weapon not just a car that looks quick in a straight line like carwow etc seem to keep promoting
Video here https://youtu.be/wOg2D7koDN8
I was fortunate enough to follow him round for a few laps. Bare in mind I'm on a 1100cc Super Naked road Bike there wasn't a great deal more in mine Vs that over 140mph
Where that was VERY fast was mid corner. I can short shift down the straights and wait on the car (I actually open it up and pass at one point for reference then wait for him to go back past me)
I am running a all round road tyre as I rode out there and needed something that was good in cold, wet and could push on for more spirited riding (Bridgestone S22s) which did have a limit to how much I could take the p*ss
Regardless speaking with the team after and the driver I could see this being a true track weapon not just a car that looks quick in a straight line like carwow etc seem to keep promoting
Video here https://youtu.be/wOg2D7koDN8
Thank you for sharing the video and the photographs
KTM are a small but brilliant company .
I spent a week with them at their HQ and factory in Graz when writing my book on the X-BOW , and they organised for me to spend a weekend at the Hungaroring while one of the X-BOW Battle championship rounds was taking place . KTM's professionalism and attention to detail over that race weekend was second to none .
I have owned my X-BOW R for almost 7 years now , and while I dont use it on track at all , I dont feel in the slightest bit short-changed - it is a superb road car if you set its bound and rebound settings to its softest settings . The X-BOW R shares the same basic carbon-fibre chassis as the GT-XR and the car feels so solid and so well-engineered that it feels like a 1980's Mercedes W124 in terms of build quality - pretty much the highest compliment that I can give it . I suspect that the GT-XR will be equally well built .
The GT-XR runs a completely different and much more potent drivetrain compared to the X-BOW R , but I suspect that it is a very civilised track car if it is anything like the R . Many journalists critisised the X-BOW for not feeling as raw as a Caterham or a Brooke ,but this was missing the point - KTM designed the X-BOW from the start to be a civilised car that was equally at home on the street as on the race circuit .
Dallara and Loris Bicocchi ( both of whom have deep Lamborghini connections ) were responsible for the X-BOW's chassis set up and they succeeded superbly in meeting KTM's brief for a safe , predictable road cum track super sportscar .
KTM also organised for me to spend 2 days at the Dallara factory and R&D facility just outside Parma and meeting Giampaolo Dallara was , and remains , one of my motoring highlghts . Snr Dallara was already in his 80;s at that time (2018) but would come into work 6 days a week from about 8 AM until 5PM . The number of PhD's per unit area in Dallara's compund must exceed the density of PhD's in Cambridge multifold - and everyone was happy to patiently try and explain technical details to a lay-person .
KTM are a small but brilliant company .
I spent a week with them at their HQ and factory in Graz when writing my book on the X-BOW , and they organised for me to spend a weekend at the Hungaroring while one of the X-BOW Battle championship rounds was taking place . KTM's professionalism and attention to detail over that race weekend was second to none .
I have owned my X-BOW R for almost 7 years now , and while I dont use it on track at all , I dont feel in the slightest bit short-changed - it is a superb road car if you set its bound and rebound settings to its softest settings . The X-BOW R shares the same basic carbon-fibre chassis as the GT-XR and the car feels so solid and so well-engineered that it feels like a 1980's Mercedes W124 in terms of build quality - pretty much the highest compliment that I can give it . I suspect that the GT-XR will be equally well built .
The GT-XR runs a completely different and much more potent drivetrain compared to the X-BOW R , but I suspect that it is a very civilised track car if it is anything like the R . Many journalists critisised the X-BOW for not feeling as raw as a Caterham or a Brooke ,but this was missing the point - KTM designed the X-BOW from the start to be a civilised car that was equally at home on the street as on the race circuit .
Dallara and Loris Bicocchi ( both of whom have deep Lamborghini connections ) were responsible for the X-BOW's chassis set up and they succeeded superbly in meeting KTM's brief for a safe , predictable road cum track super sportscar .
KTM also organised for me to spend 2 days at the Dallara factory and R&D facility just outside Parma and meeting Giampaolo Dallara was , and remains , one of my motoring highlghts . Snr Dallara was already in his 80;s at that time (2018) but would come into work 6 days a week from about 8 AM until 5PM . The number of PhD's per unit area in Dallara's compund must exceed the density of PhD's in Cambridge multifold - and everyone was happy to patiently try and explain technical details to a lay-person .
Edited by carspath on Thursday 13th April 00:51
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