It is Ducati-powered, light as a feather and has a powerful engine.
In 2013, Ferdinand Piech, then VW Chairman, announced a two-pot-powered sports vehicle that was built for performance. It was called the XL Sport Concept and was billed as the world’s most powerful 2-cylinder engine.
The car was unfortunately not built and it remained a concept. Petersen Automotive Museum In a deep dive video, he tries to recall the greatness of the sports car.
The XL Sport’s V-Twin engine, sourced from a Ducati 1199 Superleggera motorcycle, produced 197 horsepower (147 kilowatts). This was not a remarkable number for sports coupes. However, it is important to note that the XL Sport has body panels made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The XL Sport’s weight was kept at just 1,962 pounds (890 kgs). Petersen Automotive Museum called it the lightest sports car.
This allowed the XL Sport boast performance numbers such as a sprint time of 5.7 seconds (0-62 miles/hour) and a top speed at 168 mph (265 km/h).
Other performance features included a dual-clutch seven speed gearbox, titanium connecting rings, pushrod rear suspension and desmodromic valve gear. The package also featured a pair of wing door that added some pizzazz.
Can you picture the XL Sport Concept being a production car? It would have made a great addition to the VW lineup. With the automaker’s current venture into electrification, this is impossible. Ah, the possibilities.