KTM X-Bow (2008) CAR review

The KTM X-Bow is the first car from the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe. It is unashamedly sportsbike-inspired, which means the X-Bow is fast, light and nimble. Question is, can KTM X-Bow dethrone Caterham and Lotus - the established track day royalty?

So why has KTM jumped into the shark-infested waters of automobile production?

Good question, especially when you consider the rampant success of KTM’s motorcycle business. The answer, according to designer and KTM collaborator Gerald Kiska, is that fewer motorcycle licences are being issued in Europe so it was a ‘logical next step’ to build a car. This was back in the autumn of 2005 and remarkably, after joining forces with legendary Italian racing car manufacturer Dallara, the first X-Bow was shown at the Geneva show in early 2007.

Are you sure this is a car? It looks more a detached cockpit from a F-117 Nighthawk.

In the flesh, it goes beyond that – almost defying description. It has an aesthetic uncontaminated by modern automotive design thinking, and that makes it very special indeed.

Like a motorbike, the frame is part of the overall look. In this case, the ‘frame’ is a carbonfibre chassis – beautifully made and confidently unpainted. The suspension components are also visible and the ‘bodywork’ consists of four plastic (or optional carbonfibre) panels – just like a motorcycle fairing.

The engine, disappointingly, isn’t some kind of flux capacitor/warp drive device. A 2.0-litre turbocharged 237bhp TFSI motor from the VW Golf GTi nestles just behind the driver.