This savage little confection is the GT-XA, the newest offering from Austrian specialist motorcycle and racing car manufacturer KTM X-Bow. Best known for its debut vehicle, the X-Bow, which marked a shift from two-wheeled performance to four, the GT-XA is effectively an out-and-out racing machine re-engineered for the roads.
The original X-Bow was notable for its stripped back aesthetic, with no windscreen, doors, luggage space or weatherproofing. Over time, KTM diversified the offering, with the more civilised X-Bow GT even offering air conditioning. At the same time, it also branched out into track-only machines for the various FIA sports car series.
The new GT-XA takes this track experience and channels it back into a road car, this time aimed specifically at the US market, where KTM hopes to sell 30 cars a year. The Austrian company has partnered with Carbon Yard to transform the track-hardened carbon fibre monocoque into a road legal car. This will be no mean feat, for it’s only the dramatic carbon bodywork that stands between this machine and a standard open wheel endurance racing car.
Power comes from a 2.5-litre Audi 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, already well tested on the track. Refinements for road use include a new adjustable suspension package (which also offers a lift function for added ground clearance) and a host of customisation options should you not wish to go for vivid DayGlo orange. As long as they realise the GT-XA isn’t a traditional grand tourer, but a dedicated driver’s machine, with not a line or surface out of place.
Even the X-Bow’s signature jet fighter-style canopy cockpit isn’t about theatrics, but forward visibility and structural strength. From the driver’s seat you’re surrounded by a blanket of carbon fibre surfaces, with a race-style steering wheel and integrated information panel.
Dedicated driver’s machines rarely come with such an established racing pedigree as the GT-XA. The American arm of the company will provide all servicing and set-up for newly minted US customers, and KTM hopes that buyers won’t be seeking a static acquisition to add to a collection but a car that demands to be experienced on a day-to-day basis.
KTM X-Bow GT-AX, from c.$490,000, KTM-XBow-USA.com