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KTM X-Bow at the 'Ring (2008)
By
Ben Pulman
Spyshots
29 October 2007 12:31
Kronreif, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen!
Yes, or KTM for short. This is the X-Bow: it’s Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM’s first road car, and one of four planned four-wheeled vehicles by 2015. It's set to go into production in early 2008, with 240bhp courtesy of Audi. We’ve caught the car during development work at the Nurburgring, and as this car is set to be a trackday star, there couldn’t be a more appropriate place to find it. 'It's a kind of Lotus Super Seven for the 21st century,' KTM's engineering boss told CAR Online. 'It's radically modern, very light and extremely fast.'
So just how is the KTM X-Bow a modern day Seven?
The X-Bow has a carbonfibre monocoque, and it’s certainly striking in the, er, carbon. It looks just like a solid lump of the stuff, albeit a lightweight lump: the car should tip the scales at 721kg. That’s in part because there are no doors, windscreen, airbags, heater, or power assistance for the brakes or steering. There aren’t even any seats: the monocoque is moulded to form a couple of buckets which have some gel padding. A four-point harness helps hold you in place. Originally KTM had planned for Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara to make 100 launch editions cars, before switching production to Magna Steyr in Austria. However, such has been the interest in the car that KTM is building a new factory near Graz that will produce the X-Bow and quad bikes.
