VW readying Ducati-engined XL1 sports car

Volkswagen made waves with its ultra efficient XL1, a 1,700-pound two-seater that nets a claimed 261 miles per gallon. And while that degree of insane efficiency is admirable, we’d be lying if we didn’t see some performance potential with the car’s low curb weight and fanatical elimination of aerodynamic drag.

The crew in Wolfsburg must have had the same thoughts, as a story has emerged from German publication Bild that VW has a car called the XL Sports in the works, that ditches the XL1’s two-cylinder, diesel-powered engine and electric motor for something a bit more potent – the 1,198-cc, 190-horsepower V-twin from the Ducati 1199 Panigale. It’d be relegated to the track, but what a firecracker it would be.

And before we get wrapped up in Bild’s tabloid reputation, the story is accompanied by a shot that looks about as authentic as can be. We can’t run it here, but we strongly suggest you hop over to Bild (fair warning, it’s in German) and have a look. It shows Ferdinand Piëch in Vienna, showing a racing variant of the XL1, called the XL Sport, to a group of students at the Vienna University of Technology. Head over to BIld and take a look, and then head back this way and let us know what you think.