Under The Hood: KTM X-Bow

In terms of track cars that can legally be driven on the road, there are two categories. There are stripped out supercars: think 911 GT3s, 488 Pistas, Huracan Performantes. And there are fully-built track cars, often with very little luxuries (and very little engines) that weight about the same as a motorbike. These include the Caterham, the BAC Mono, the infamous Ariel Atom and the subject of today's article, the KTM X-Bow R. In terms of the KTM, it has recently been allowed to be imported into Australia (2017, I believe) and as such there are not many in Australia. This one however was at a recent Cars and Coffee I attended.

The X-bow has a striking appearance, with all its minimalist panels made out of plastic to save weight, as well as a mighty wing at the back. The cockpit can best be described ad 'F1 for two', such is the minimalism, as well as the shape and buttons on the steering wheel. Another noticeable visual feature is the semi-exposed suspension struts.

The car is powered by a 2-litre four cylinder engine from Audi, which produces 237 horsepower, accelerates from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and goes all the way to 215kmh. In the R model, it is tuned to 300 horsepower. But it's key track feature is its low weight and centre of gravity leading to near-perfect handling which makes it quicker around a track than most supercars.

Another interesting chapter of this car is its racing history in GT4. It was homologated in 2008, and the race car looks even weirder than the road car. It has to have a closed cockpit, so the solution the boffins in Austria came up with is a giant spaceship-like door covering the cabin. It's a regular competitor in Australia, playing a key role in this year's Bathurst 12 hour when one caused a late safety car by basically exploding in the engine. They have been regulars around the world.