This Ducati Superbike-Engined Volkswagen XL Sport Is The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

Almost exactly a year ago Volkswagen teased us with the news that it would be sticking the engine from a Ducati superbike under the bonnet of its super-streamlined XL1. Naturally, we got rather excited, but never really thought it would become a reality.

Well, it turns out we were wrong to ever doubt VW, as it has just revealed the stunning XL Sport at the Paris Motor Show. Taking the world’s most efficient economy car and turning it into a mid-engined sports car might seem stupid, but everything that works for economy also works for high-performance tomfoolery.

By using the XL1 as a base, the XL Sport immediately benefits from a low weight of just 890kg - thanks, in part, to a carbonfibre tub - and incredibly streamlined aerodynamics. The XL1 was designed to be slippery, but for the Sport model VW’s engineers took that shape and adapted it to be wider, which aids handling, as well as fitting an extendable rear spoiler for added downforce.

The real headline, though, is that engine. VW-owned Audi owns Ducati, and the XL1 exploits that fact. Plonked in the middle of the chassis is the 1199cc V-twin from the Ducati 1199 Panigale, the world’s most powerful two-cylinder motorcycle engine. In the XL Sport it makes 197bhp and revs to 11,000rpm. Together with a seven-speed DSG transmission it can run from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and onto a top speed of 167mph.

This concept car was the 200 millionth Volkswagen ever built, and we can only hope and pray it’s not a one-off.