KTM X-Bow Race Model: Could be yours for €82,900

Following the X-Bow's market launch this summer and its race debut at the European GT4 Sports Light series where it claimed the top three spots at the end of the 18-round championship, KTM announced the release of a the X-Bow Race, a fully FIA homologated GT4 Sports Light racing car. Drawing on experience from the X-Bow's first season of professional motorsport in Europe, the new Race model features more than 30 modified or new components compared with the standard, road-legal version of the mid-engined sports car. -Continued

The Austrian firm has priced the X-Bow Race at €82.900 ($105,000 with the current exchange rates) ex-works and excluding national taxes, with first customer deliveries scheduled to begin in January 2009.

Changes on the X-Bow Race model, which like its street-legal sibling is powered by Audi's 2.0-liter TFSI engine delivering an output of 240HP, include race-spec suspension and brake systems, Kevlar-reinforced side panels, carbon fiber windscreen extension for telemetry equipment installation, racing fuel system with quick-fill compatibility and an extended rear bumper that prevents tangling and minimizes spray in wet track conditions. Customers with a bigger allowance may also choose from a variety of optional "PowerParts" like such as the carbon-fiber tonneau cover and Kevlar-strengthened front panels.

The mid-engined sports car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and to 160 km/h (100 mph) in 8.5 sec while its top speed is 220 km/h or 137 mph

The Austrian manufacturer says that the X-Bow 'Race' is extremely easy to maintain and offers significantly lower running costs than competitor cars. To put that in numbers, KTM claims that taking into account all 'wear and tear' parts, tires and fuel, the typical cost of running a X-Bow in GT4 come to about €3,000 (about $3,800) per race.