1/18/11

MTM KTM X-Bow 318 HP

Cars Mania Blog
Auto Car | MTM KTM X-Bow 318 HP | There's no roof or windscreen. You need to wear a helmet to take it shopping and there's no storage space when you get there. It's a pure adrenaline machine then, a racer for the road, and with a curb weight of 1,650 pounds and 240 hp, it's ludicrously fast. But that's never stopped people wanting more.

Luckily, this car is essentially a carbon-fiber monocoque, some seats and wheels strapped to a 2.0-liter TFSI VW/Audi engine and gearbox. Simple enough. MTM is the first to step in and create a 318-hp kart that I just had to try out... on a wet, wintry road.

With skidlid on and Alpinestars' best guarding against frostbitten fingers, I slap the throttle to the floor. The rear wheels spin helplessly on the damp tarmac, the car slides through each and every bend on a twist of opposite lock and it doesn't straighten up until I turn it off. But it's never threatening, never dangerous, just the most as a progressive throttle helps to keep the back out on every apex. Driving a big-power Porsche like this would end in one place: the morgue. But the X-Bow wants to be thrown through the bend. It's what it was built for, it's all it was built for.

Such focused track-day cars and weekend warriors haven't quite gripped the American psyche, but they're big business in Europe. From the Lotus Seven based Caterhams that have stood the test of time through to the space-age Ariel Atom and bike-engined Radicals, track-day specials are big business.

Source : www.europeancarweb.com

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