Revisit VW XL Sport's Two-Cylinder Flair With This Deep-Dive Video
Ducati-powered and light as a feather, it deserves the superlatives.
In the late 2000s, Volkswagen toyed with the idea of a super-efficient vehicle powered by a plug-in hybrid two-cylinder diesel engine. The limited-production vehicle was called the XL1 and it was pegged to be the most fuel-efficient car ever made.
The year 2013 came and then VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech announced a two-pot-powered sports car that's built for performance. That one was called the XL Sport Concept, and its engine was touted as the world's most powerful two-cylinder engine.
Unfortunately, that car was stillborn and remained a concept, but Petersen Automotive Museum tries to revisit the sports car's greatness in a deep-dive video.
Gallery: Volkswagen XL Sport is a quick yet frugal Ducati-powered concept
Sourced from a Ducati 1199 Superleggera, the XL Sport's reputable V-Twin engine revved up to 11,000 rpm and made up to 197 horsepower (147 kilowatts). While that latter number wasn't exactly exceptional for sports coupes, we all have to remember that the XL Sport comes with body panels made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This kept the weight low at a measly 1,962 pounds (890 kilograms) – so light that Petersen Automotive Museum calls it the lightest modern sports car.
That fact allowed the XL Sport to tout performance numbers like a 0-62 mile-per-hour (0-100 kilometer-per-hour) sprint of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h).
Newer VW Concepts:
The VW XL Sport boasted other performance bits such as a dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox, titanium connecting rods, pushrod rear suspension, desmodromic valve gear, ceramic brakes, and various magnesium-alloy components. It also had a pair of wing doors that added pizzazz to the whole package.
Can you imagine the XL Sport Concept as a production vehicle? I know we do and it would have been a solid addition to the VW lineup back then. Then again, that's impossible now with the automaker's current foray into electrification. Oh, what could have been.
Source: Petersen Automotive Museum via YouTube
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Volkswagen Could Finally Build A Pickup Truck For America: Report
Man Gets Hyundai's 10-Year, 100,000-Mile Warranty. Then He Learns It's Really 2 Different Warranties: 'The Part Nobody Explains'
Volkswagen Can't Quit Coupe SUVs, With A New One On The Way
Houston Woman Gets Towed Outside Restaurant. Then She Notices A Sign Next To The Parking Lot: ‘Call The Police’
Woman Tries To Sell Her 2010 Volkswagen Jetta On Facebook Marketplace ‘As A Girl’. It Backfires: ‘If You Let Me Take You Out…’
Mechanic Blamed For Lexus' Sudden Damage. Then He Finds An American Tire Depot Receipt
Who Owns Who? Every Major Car Brand And Its Parent Company