KTM Dallara Challenge
Austrian motorcycle maker KTM stunned the Geneva show last year when it presented the concept version of its X-Bow, the company’s first automobile. Designed primarily as a track car, KTM’s lightweight roadster, which tips the scales at less than 1500 lb., is powered by a 240-bhp turbocharged, direct-injection 4-cylinder engine from Audi. That engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The X-Bow is back in production trim as the Dallara Challenge. This extreme machine is designed to compete in a spec racing series named after the legendary Italian race-car maker that builds all the chassis for the X-Bow.
Although the car is powerful and light weight, top speed is not the prime consideration in the X-Bow’s development. Rather, the car emphasizes handling, in which aerodynamics plays a crucial role. As a result of extensive testing in Dallara’s wind tunnel, the X-Bow is fitted with a unique rear diffuser that helps to generate 440 lb. of downforce. KTM claims the X-Bow is capable of pulling 1.23g on the skidpad.
Even though the X-Bow was conceived as a track car, it has a 2-passenger cabin, leaving the door open for street homologated versions of the car and perhaps even a closed-cockpit version.
