Furious Five: Audi I-5 Powers the Wicked KTM X-Bow GTX
The KTM X-Bow GTX is a wicked track weapon, and a top contender for the coolest car rocking Audi power.
From the R8, to the RS 5 Coupe, to the RS 6 Avant, there are no shortage of amazing cars wearing the Four Rings badge. And I didn’t even mention any purpose-built race machines! But while the KTM X-Bow GTX doesn’t say Audi anywhere on it, the heart of this track weapon is an Audi straight-five, because as we know, Audi makes some killer engines. In my opinion, that makes it a contender for coolest car rocking an Audi powerplant. Because while it’s a ferocious performer, it’s also basically built for the FIA’s GT4 Class, and it’s not street legal.
In KTM spec, Audi’s turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder has been stoked to a blistering 530 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Notably, the guts of the engine remain stock, though the intake, injectors, wastegate, and exhaust have been swapped out. Just as you’d expect, the high-strung little mill is also running a far more aggressive tune. Now, I’ve never been in any flavor of the X-Bow, but I have been in a Radical, which is a similar type of machine. The Radical I was treated to a couple of hot laps in was the fastest feeling thing I have ever experienced. At one point, the test driver was turning so quickly I couldn’t even see.
That car was running a Hayabusa engine, and was making a hair over 200 ponies at the crank. I simply can’t even imagine what having more than twice as much power would have felt like.
The backbone of the X-Bow GTX is a carbon fiber monocoque that weighs less than 200 pounds, which is fortified with a steel roll cage for safety. If the car didn’t look cool enough, it’s also topped with a canopy that wouldn’t look out of place on a fighter jet. Inside, the cabin is strictly business, with a Recaro racing seat, an adjustable pedal box and wheel, and a fully integrated MoTec data logger. Shifting duties are handled by a six-speed sequential Holinger transmission, and other track specific kit, like Continental’s competition-grade ABS, along with Sachs racing shocks and fully adjustable aero bits round out the package. All told, the GTX tips the scales at just 2,310 pounds.
With a starting price of around $270,000, the KTM X-Bow GXT is far from cheap. But anyone who can come up with that steep cost of entry will be treated to a level of performance mere mortals seldom — if ever — get to experience. Check out the video below to listen to Audi’s 2.5-liter powerplant wail at the the track!
Photos: KTM