Photo: KTM
Launched in 2008 and with just about 1,000 units produced since, the KTM X-Bow is a rarity all around the world. More so in the United States of America, where the Austrian ultra-light sports car has been on sale since 2011 as a special construction vehicle (a.k.a. kit car). All that is about to change starting from the spring of 2017, the moment in time when KTM will put the X-Bow on sale as a fully built car. Huzza!
Speaking to Wards Auto, chief executive Stefan Pierer told the publication that his company expects to sell 15 units or thereabout in 2017. In the future, the numero uno at KTM looks forward to annual sales of 30 to 40 units. It’s not that much when you think about it. Then again, KTM manufactured about 80 cars in 2015.
Now available in four different flavors, the KTM X-Bow that’s slated to arrive in the United States in the spring of 2017 is the entry-level R. Don’t go thinking that it’s rubbish just because it’s the base model. The belly of the beast comes in the form of an Audi-sourced 2.0 TFSI turbo four-cylinder engine with 295 ponies (300 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Connected to a six-speed manual with a short throw shifter, that’s enough get-up-and-go for 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. That's pretty fast, isn't it?
To put 3.9 seconds into perspective, this thing accelerates from a standstill as fast as a Porsche Carrera GT mid-engined supercar did in 2004, the year Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his dormitory at Harvard. How much do you have to pay for a car without a windshield?
God only knows. When it initially went on sale in the U.S. as a kit car in 2011, the least expensive KTM X-Bow retailed for $88,500 plus $7,900 for the drivetrain. In any case, the KTM X-Bow won’t be a cheap machine in turn-key form either.
WardsAuto also mentions that “the automaker plans to establish a North American subsidiary and create a small exclusive dealer network for its track day car. The first contacts in the U.S. are operators of racetracks who plan to buy fleets.” Firstly, what better way to establish a subsidiary than to sell the X-Bow through the KTM Motorcycles dealer network? Secondly, it seems to me like the X-Bow R is coming soon to a track near you.
Now available in four different flavors, the KTM X-Bow that’s slated to arrive in the United States in the spring of 2017 is the entry-level R. Don’t go thinking that it’s rubbish just because it’s the base model. The belly of the beast comes in the form of an Audi-sourced 2.0 TFSI turbo four-cylinder engine with 295 ponies (300 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Connected to a six-speed manual with a short throw shifter, that’s enough get-up-and-go for 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. That's pretty fast, isn't it?
To put 3.9 seconds into perspective, this thing accelerates from a standstill as fast as a Porsche Carrera GT mid-engined supercar did in 2004, the year Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his dormitory at Harvard. How much do you have to pay for a car without a windshield?
God only knows. When it initially went on sale in the U.S. as a kit car in 2011, the least expensive KTM X-Bow retailed for $88,500 plus $7,900 for the drivetrain. In any case, the KTM X-Bow won’t be a cheap machine in turn-key form either.
WardsAuto also mentions that “the automaker plans to establish a North American subsidiary and create a small exclusive dealer network for its track day car. The first contacts in the U.S. are operators of racetracks who plan to buy fleets.” Firstly, what better way to establish a subsidiary than to sell the X-Bow through the KTM Motorcycles dealer network? Secondly, it seems to me like the X-Bow R is coming soon to a track near you.
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