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KTM X-Bow R Gets a Modest Facelift for 2017 Model Year

Even though the KTM Group is best known for the motorcycles it produces, the Austrian manufacturer also rings a bell with car nuts thanks to an ultra-light sports car. Eight long years after its introduction, the X-Bow gets the nip & tuck treatment.
2017 KTM X-Bow R (facelift) 4 photos
Photo: KTM
2017 KTM X-Bow R (Facelift)2017 KTM X-Bow R (Facelift)2017 KTM X-Bow R (Facelift)
In a press release announcing the completion of the 1,000th X-Bow and the X-Bow’s coming to America in 2017, the Austrian outfit also details that the 1,000th X-Bow is a bit more noteworthy. “The first KTM X-Bow R to get a facelift” boasts LED daytime running lights, more slender headlight surrounds, and a more aggressive splitter. The pics don't make it justice, though.

At the rear, the facelifted KTM X-Bow R benefits from a redesigned engine cover, which now has ventilation slits similar to those on the X-Bow GT. The manufacturer also mentions something ambiguous about the engine. More to the point, KTM talks about the 2.0-liter TFSI from Audi with 300 PS (296 hp) on tap, albeit “with a few minor improvements.” If I'm to be brutally honest, it’s anybody’s guess what those improvements are. That said, let's move on.

The KTM X-Bow “has changed the way that KTM is perceived in the automotive industry,” declared Stefan Pierer, the chief exec of KTM. “Not many people believed that we could succeed in getting such an extraordinary vehicle on the road. The fact that this didn’t turn out to be a flash in the pan, despite all the challenges we faced, has also improved our reputation.”

Priced at 74,900 euros excluding VAT (approximately $82,815 at current exchange rates), the European order books for the 2017 KTM X-Bow R are now open. In Canada and the United States, the X-Bow will be arriving in the spring of 2017. “KTM Sportcar GmbH will gain a North American subsidiary, along with a small network of dealers selected exclusively for the planned Track Day car,” the company explains in the release you can read below.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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