The KTM X-Bow GT-XR Is a Furious Five-Cylinder Track Toy
Just like the McLaren Solus GT, the canopy on the KTM X-Bow GT-XR slides open and back.
Fighter jet-style canopies may just be the new trend among wild track toys, because Austrian motorcycle maker KTM's new road car makes its driver feel like a Top Gun pilot before they've even set off. It's called the KTM X-Bow GT-XR (that's pronounced "cross-bow" but we're not sure if it's "GT-cross-R") and its coolest feature is the soft-close greenhouse that opens forward, a lot like on military aircraft or McLaren's recently revealed Solus GT track car.
Sublimely cool entryways aside, the rest of the car is also built to impress. Nestled within an evolved version of the same carbon monocoque that lived under the original X-Bow is Audi's 2.5-liter turbo five-cylinder out of the RS3. In the KTM, however, it makes 500 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque compared to 401 hp and 369 lb-ft in that compact Audi sedan.
Power goes through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as well as a motorsport-grade, mechanical limited-slip differential before landing at the rear wheels. With an all-carbon body and using aero parts taken from the company's GT2 racer, the X-Bow GT-XR weighs just 2,756 pounds and has a top speed of 174 mph.
Centerlock OZ wheels house optional carbon ceramic brakes. Adjustable Sachs dampers help the KTM keep its composure, while a lift system is able to raise the car by 3.5 inches to help it navigate bumps and driveways. Also in an attempt to make this thing more livable, the stainless steel exhaust can be fitted with a catalytic converter and silencer "on request."
Unfortunately, the X-Bow GT-XR isn't coming to the U.S. but, for those overseas and interested, the car will cost the equivalent of about $284,000. KTM says it's only building 100 per year.
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