KTM X-Bow GT

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the KTM X-Bow GT, the windscreen-equipped version of the Austrian carbon-monocoque two-seater that KTM introduced at the Geneva show in March 2013, with the Audi-sourced 2.0L turbo inline-4 petrol rated at 285 PS (281 bhp), the rear-wheel drive, mid-engine layout and a six-speed manual gearbox. It is not a guide to the open X-Bow R or the race-focused RR, to the long-wheelbase GT4 racing car, to the GT2 or to the five-cylinder GT-XR, which are different cars with their own figures. An advert that says only "X-Bow" can describe any of them, so we say below where the numbers differ.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: KTM's 2013 world premiere release, as reproduced on AllCarIndex, PistonHeads' August 2019 report on a used 2015 car, and the government recall checker. We also read motor1 Germany (27 February 2013), Motorionline (14 March 2013), New Atlas, Ultimatecarpage, more-cars.net, evo's 2013 review and Wikipedia, and we flag every point that rests on them. Car magazine's review returned HTTP 402, drivearabia.com returned 403 and autoexpress.co.uk returned 410, so we did not use them and did not try to get round that. Prices are history, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 2.0L turbo inline-4 petrol, 1984 cc, direct injection, from Audi, mounted transversely behind the seats. KTM's release says the GT is based on the X-Bow R, and the electronics were revised for drivability.
• Power: 281 bhp at 6400 rpm. KTM's release prints 285 PS, which is about 281 bhp by our conversion (285 x 0.98632), and both evo and Ultimatecarpage print 281 bhp. PistonHeads calls it 285hp at 6,400rpm.
• Torque: 420 Nm at 3200 rpm, which PistonHeads prints as 310 lb ft. motor1 says that is 20 Nm more than the X-Bow R, although the GT has less power.
• 0-100 km/h: 4.1 seconds, as printed by New Atlas and by Ultimatecarpage. evo's table gives 4.1 seconds for 0-62 mph, while Motorionline printed 4.2 seconds. Treat it as a claim.
• Top speed: 231 km/h (about 144 mph), as printed by New Atlas and Motorionline. Ultimatecarpage prints 232 km/h.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive through a six-speed manual gearbox, with a limited-slip differential. evo noted unassisted steering, Brembo brakes without ABS and no traction electronics.
• Weight: 847 kg, which motor1 and New Atlas give, and New Atlas calls it a dry weight. PistonHeads says the GT added 57 kg over the glass-less versions.

Where the published figures disagree

Our own catalogue previously held 300 bhp and 2016 as the start year, and both were wrong. The 300 figure is the X-Bow R's 300 PS (KTM's release lists the R at 300 PS; evo says 296 bhp), not the GT. KTM lowered the output for the GT, and the torque went up. The 2016 start year does not match the sources either: the car was shown in March 2013, orders opened at once and the release expected first deliveries at the end of April or the beginning of May 2013. The used car PistonHeads advertised was first registered in 2015.

Wikipedia is not clear on this point. Its text says the GT has the same output as the standard model and quotes 300 hp for later X-Bows, which conflicts with KTM's own release. We treat it as a pointer only.

What makes the GT different

The GT was the first X-Bow with a windscreen. The release describes a frameless, wraparound screen, and motor1 says it is heated and has a wiper, where the other cars have only a small deflector. There are two thin side windows that double as doors, an optional removable canvas roof that KTM calls the X-Top, and a small luggage system of about 50 litres. evo said the roof stows in the cabin and can be used up to 80 mph, and that cabin buffeting was remarkably low. Those are useful for a car meant for roads, but they are also the parts most likely to wear, leak or be missing on a used car, so check them in person.

The structure is the same idea as the other X-Bows: a carbon monocoque with the engine behind the cabin, fixed seat shells and a sliding pedal box. New Atlas lists the dimensions as 3738 x 1915 x 1202 mm on a 2430 mm wheelbase, with 8.3 l/100 km and 189 g/km of CO2. PistonHeads quotes the same 189 g/km and 34 mpg.

Price history and rarity

KTM's release gives a net price of 72,500 euros for the GT. Motorionline printed 86,275 euros, which we think includes taxes but cannot confirm. In the UK, evo gave an on-sale price from 74,000 pounds, and PistonHeads says the 2015 car it advertised cost 73,000 pounds new and was offered at 57,995 pounds in August 2019 with 5,000 miles. That is one asking price for one car and not a valuation. The advertiser said it was one of only two GTs in the UK, and we could not verify that.

We found no production total. more-cars.net has an empty "Total Production" field, and Wikipedia only discusses X-Bow numbers as a whole, so our catalogue gives no count. The same database lists the GT as built from 2013 to 2017, but no other source supports an end date, so we also leave the end year blank. Do not assume a scarcity figure that nobody has published.

Ownership and parts

The car is a low-volume build. The current KTM motorcycle model page we fetched does not list the X-Bow, and KTM's recent news pages cover the five-cylinder GT-XR, so we could not find a current KTM page with GT specifications. We used an archived copy of the 2013 release for that reason. We found no published service schedule, parts price list or running cost, and anyone quoting one is giving an estimate. Ask the seller who has serviced the car and whether that was an authorised KTM car partner.

PistonHeads described the character as "remarkably uncompromising", which is a fair warning: this is a track-derived car with a roof added, and used examples may have seen circuit days.

What to check before buying

• Confirm it is a GT and not an R fitted with aftermarket glass: the build plate, chassis number and invoice should agree.
• Ask whether the engine has been remapped. The sources give 281 bhp as standard, and tuning parts were offered through KTM's accessory list.
• Inspect the windscreen seals, wiper, heater, side windows and door fit for leaks and wear. Check that the X-Top roof and its fittings are present.
• Look at the carbon monocoque for cracks, repair work and stone damage, particularly at the suspension mounting points, and have a specialist inspect it.
• Ask about track use, clutch wear, turbo and oil service history, and brake wear, since the brakes have no ABS.
• Check the tyres and the wheel alignment, and confirm the registration, import paperwork and insurance terms for a low-volume car in your country.
• Run the recall check below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker, because we are not looking at a specific car. The page says a car with a registration number should be checked through the MOT history service, which shows safety recalls that are unchecked or unfixed, while a car without one uses the vehicle recalls checker with make, model and year. It says the maker will contact you about recalls for reasons other than safety, and it does not say how complete the data is. We found no recall notice for the X-Bow GT in any source. For a low-volume car, an empty result may mean nothing has been issued or nothing has been listed, so it is not a clean bill of health. Also ask KTM or an authorised partner whether any service bulletin applies to the chassis.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a black and orange X-Bow GT on a dealer showroom floor in Munich in September 2021, photographed by Alexander Migl and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons. We cropped it to 16:9 and resized it, and we blurred the number plate of an unrelated car in the background. The pictured car has a large rear wing, so do not read it as a standard-specification GT.

Verdict

The KTM X-Bow GT in this guide is 281 bhp (285 PS), 420 Nm, a claimed 4.1 seconds to 100 km/h and a claimed 231 km/h, rear-wheel drive and mid-engine, in a lightweight carbon car that added a screen, side windows and a roof to a track toy. It is a quirky, rare road and track car with thin published paperwork, so its history matters more than its headline figures. If you are shopping for one, confirm the specification, insist on a full service record and a specialist inspection, and treat every published figure as a claim with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and an inspection to decide.