Volkswagen give the VW XL1 Ducati power

Volkswagen has fitted the super-frugal, and very lightweight, VW XL1 with power from the Ducati Panigale to create an XL1 with proper performance.

It’s more than two years since Volkswagen rolled out the VW XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle as a demonstration of how light weight and low power can make for extremely economical motoring.

But the silly mpg VW quoted for the XL1 – 313mpg – comes at a fairly horrible price, with the news at Geneva this year that the XL1 is heading for limited production, but with a price tag likely to be around £100k.

Bit it seems that VW has found a new use for the XL1, and this time it’s not about extreme economy but more about real performance.

VW has taken the XL1, stripped out the little 800cc turbo-diesel and electric motor and fitted it with a 1200cc engine from Ducati (VW, via Audi, recently gobbled up Ducati) with 187bhp.

Not only has VW stripped the XL1 of its eco powerplant, they also seem to have dropped the closed wheel arches at the back, added a set of stripes and no doubt a beefed-up suspension and brakes that can keep the Ducati power in check.

The new of the VW XL Sportster comes from Austrian website Auto Revue who grabbed the photo above as VW’s Ferdinand Piech revealed it during a lecture at the Vienna University where he is an honorary professor.

Whether VW intend to make the Ducati-powered XL1 a limited production car or whether they intend to go racing with it isn’t clear.

But the XL Sportster is a lot more appealing than the XL1