Talk about a ‘Superstar’ combination –Volkswagen has teamed with Ducatti to unveil the XL Sport – a stunning sports car based on the XL1 and powered by the Italian motorcycle giant’s Superleggera V-Twin two-cylinder engine.
Revving to 11,000rpm, the 147kW Ducatti Superleggara V-Twin is the world’s most powerful two-cylinder engine and powers the Volkswagen XL Sport from zero to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds.
The 1.2-litre engine sees the two four-valve cylinders arranged at an angle of 90-degrees.
Drive is to the rear wheels via Volkswagen’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Underneath is a motorsport-derived chassis with upper and lower control arms for the front suspension and pullrod actuation for the dampers while the rear sees pushrod actuation.
Wheels are lightweight 18-inch alloys and stopping is handled by ceramic brakes.
The bodyshell, like the XL1 is carbon-fibre with two wing doors which swivel upwards and forwards courtesy of a clever twin-hinge arrangement.
Compared to the XL1, the XL Sport is longer and lower thanks to changes made in the interests of downforce. But like the XL1, the XL Sport has now exterior mirrors – small cameras transmit images to two screens in the cockpit.
The Volkswagen XL1 is the world’s most fuel-efficient car boasting lightweight carbon and magnesium technology and extensive hand fabrication – only 250 will be built but for the Ducatti-powered XL Sport, a production run of 500 vehicles is planned.
