The KTM X-Bow GTX Is A 600bhp GT2 Racer With An Audi Five-Pot

The X-Bow came and went from the UK market a long time ago, but the automotive arm of Austrian bike manufacturer KTM is still very much a thing. Last year the X-Bow Comp R was launched for the US, and the racing stuff has been going on for years.

The latest development on that front is the X-Bow GTX, which will have its own one-make series starting in 2021. It’ll be eligible for various different series, including the newly established SRO GT2 class, in which Porsche and Audi also have entries.

Before the necessary balance of performance stuff is added for GT2 racing and other series, the GTX will weigh around 1000kg and develop 600bhp. Of particular interest is where that power comes from - while previous X-Bows have used various VW Group inline-four turbo engines, the GTX gets an extra cylinder.

Yep, mounted in the middle is Audi’s 2.5-litre inline-five turbo engine, providing deliciously warbly thrust for the GTX. KTM hasn’t said what’s been done to the five-pot to elevate its output from the 395bhp it develops in the likes of the RS Q3 and TT RS, but it’s well known that little effort is needed to extract silly figures from the unit.

Unlike customer track and road versions of the X-Bow, the GTX has a closed cockpit, although under all that fancy new bodywork is the same Dallara-designed carbonfibre monocoque you’ll find used in all KTM’s cars. What you can’t see in these two images - the only glimpse of the car we’ve been given so far - is a homologated roll cage and racing seat.

The GTX - which is developed in partnership with long-time KTM collaborator Reiter Engineering GmbH - won’t make the start of the GT2 season, although it is expected to be racing in the SRO’s new series from autumn.