KTM X-Bow to be sold in the U.S. but won't be legal for public roads

A couple years back we wrote about KTM's intent to sell the mad, mad X-Bow trackday special as a complete vehicle in the United States. The X-Bow has been available in the U.S. since 2011, but buying them has been a two-part affair: first you'd buy the car, and then the engine, and you'd have to combine them yourself instead of KTM handing them over together as a functioning car. That arrangement was there because the X-Bow hasn't met federal crash standards. Finally that step can be skipped, but there are still limits, of course.

TopSpeed.com reports that the X-Bow will be available in two versions, and neither can be driven on public roads. It still makes sense, as the vehicle was designed for racetracks instead of commuting, but it's still a limitation. In any case, those trackdays will still be great fun, as the less powerful Comp R version will come with 330 horsepower, and the more powerful Comp R 1st Edition has 20 horsepower more. As well as the power difference, the 1st Edition has a different aero package on it. The regular-issue Comp R hits 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds, and the 1st Edition only needs 3.2 seconds; both weigh less than 1,800 pounds.

Pricing for the turnkey X-Bows hasn't yet been announced, but they're not going to be cheap: TopSpeed.com estimates the asking prices at $100,000. At first there will be two dealers offering them, the other one being Wisconsin-based HMC Racing and the other ANSA Motorsports in Florida.