We've been talking about the KTM X-Bow for over a year now and while it's nice to read about a car's innovative lightweight construction and its many event appearances, there's nothing like an in-car video of a few laps around Silverstone to help one gain a true appreciation of how the X-Bow makes good on its performance promise. Of course, this isn't just a track car and will be available for the street but the legendary British circuit is where Drivers Republic jumped into the car-as-art-piece and filmed it stretching its legs.

The internet publication also did a lengthy piece with some nice pics in which they discussed some of the merits and short-comings of the X-Bow. Among the things they liked were the cars audacious looks (duh!) and the quality that went into the materials and construction. Being British they felt obliged to compare it with the Caterham and the Ariel Atom. Although the newcomer appears to be an exercise in light-weighting, the older two-seaters beat it in that department. The original specs called for the carbon fiber speedster to weigh in at 600 kg (1322 lbs) but post-production it has balloned to more than 700kg (1543 lbs). The KTM creation does excel in handling though and as the driver makes his way around the track, he fills you in on all the details. So, maybe you're thinking, "This isn't so very green now, is it." and you may have a point. The Audi-sourced engine burns gasoline at an only slightly slower rate than a "normal" sportscar. However, KTM may environmentally redeem itself if it can parlay the technological advances from its £53,850 ($93,871) play toy into some small (hopefully more affordable) city cars. Hit the jump for some KTM X-Bow track action.

[Source: Drivers Republic]

Click the above image for a high-res gallery of the KTM X-BOW

KTM, the Austrian maker of some of the world's finest dirtbikes, is currently on a new product blitz which covers nearly every niche in both the automotive and motorcycle markets. While the company is currently rolling out new streetbikes, like the awe-inspiring RC8 superbike, the firm's first-ever four-wheeler, the X-Bow, has been generating tons of buzz amongst automotive gear-heads which would likely otherwise be uninterested in the orange and black brand. That newfound audience will soon be greeted by "the world's first frugal and eco-friendly off-roader" and a small city car, which could even see electric-only power at some point.

The new off-road model will attack the rally scene that KTM often dominates on two wheels. Somehow, the rally-bred vehicle is expected to be extremely light and perform admirably on both the tarmac and the dirt. The cycle-making firm's recent dealings with Bajaj will soon bear fruit in the form of three new city vehicles, one of which could be a modern take on the classic rickshaw platform. So far, Audi (which is owned by VW) has supplied engines to KTM for its on-road offerings, and the word is that both gasoline and diesel engines are expected for the newest models. It sounds like KTM is setting itself up to become a major player in both the auto and cycle realms, and rumors indicate that KTM may be the brand VeeDub hinted interest in a few months back.


[Source: CAR]

click to enlarge

We've been waiting for the KTM X-Bow to make its racing debut for a long while. We found out in March that the lightweight racer's first competition would be the 2008 FIA GT4 European Cup, which has now taken place. Two X-Bow cars raced in the newly-created "Sport Lights" class over the weekend. The cars were driven by German racing specialists from Reiter Engineering. We didn't want to spoil the results of the racers debut in case you're sitting on a recorded version of the race, so find out how the X-Bows did by clicking past the break.

KTM has announced that two X-Bow track cars will compete in a newly created class called "Sport Lights" in this year's FIA GT4 European Cup. The Championship will start April 20 at Silverstone, UK.

Specialist Reiter and Dallara will be in charge of preparing the KTM X-Bow for competition. The racing models will allow make an appearance on the tracks, but will also be used to create a sports model that will be put on sale by the end of 2008. The changes made to the GT4 racing version include additional safety measures such as tougher rollover bars, additional layers of zylon fibre on the flanks of the monocoque, a racing silencer, larger wheel covers and protections and additional chassis race tuning.

Full press release after the jump.

Up until now, it had been thought that KTM would be out-sourcing the production of the KTM X-Bow. Now it seems that the motorcycle-making company will build a new plant for the production of their first four-wheeler. KTM has been caught off guard by the demand that their diminutive sportster has drummed up and is not prepared to make the car themselves at any plants that they currently operate. So, the decision was whether to pay an assembler to produce the carbon fiber machine or to do it themselves with a new plant. Perhaps the fact that they have gotten double the 500 orders that they were counting on has made the business case for a new plant more attractive and prompted the decision to create KTM's own "four-wheel centre of excellence."

KTM is on a tear as of late with the introduction of new street-going motorcycles. Their next installment is expected to be the RC8 superbike which will compete with sportbikes such as Ducati's new 1098. Exciting times for the Austrian company!

Related:

• Production series X-BOW carbon fiber roadster coming early 2008
• KTM using carbon fibre to make their X-BOW roadster faster

[Source: Autocar via Autoblog, Gizmag]

The Piaggio MP3 has been seen by only a handful of people in the U.S., however it already has quite a following. The excitement stems from the fact that the vehicle is radically different from almost everything else available. Or is it? That topic was brought up over at 2 Stroke Buzz. Despite their name, they cover anything scooter-related, whether powered by a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine. All the older Vespa's used two strokes, hence the name.

Anyway, while at the Dealer Expo a few days ago, they noticed that the three-wheeled design is becoming quite popular. With vehicles such as the Can-Am Spyder, the T-Rex and it's electric sibling the Silence PT2, the KTM X-Bow, the Lazareth Triazuma and the VentureOne tilting vehicle based on the Carver, the MP3 will be facing stiff competition for your hard-earned dollars. One benefit that the MP3 will have over most of its competition is that it will undercut all of those vehicles in price. The next cheapest vehicle listed there will probably be the Can-Am Spyder which is expected to sell just south of $15 thousand or so. The MP3 also stands to have the best gas mileage, but along with that, probably the slowest performance.

Another tidbit that I pulled from the posting on 2SB was that Piaggio has announced that a 400cc 4-stroke version of the MP3 will be coming stateside in addition to the already announced 250cc 4-stroke version. Pricing remains to be announced, however.

Be sure to check out Piaggio's micro-site on the MP3.

Related:

• Can-Am Spyder official site is live, view our gallery
• More transportation alternatives, this time plucked from Kneeslider
• Venture Vehicles to design and build 100 mpg three-wheeled road-going jetfighter
• Video of Venture Vehicles playing around with a Carver three-wheeler
• KTM using carbon fibre to make their X-BOW roadster faster
• Need a three-wheeled all-electric speed machine? It's yours for $42,000

[Source: 2 Stroke Buzz, Piaggio and previous posts here on AutoblogGreen]