VW to Drop Ducati Engine into XL1 Sports Car

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Nearly a year ago, the Volkswagen Group purchased Italian superbike maker Ducati for then unknown reasons. Then it became known that Audi purchased the brand on behalf of Lamborghini, which is also a part of the VW empire. But still, no one was entirely sure what VW needed from Ducati. Today, however, it appears we have our answer. A German publication is claiming that VW is prepping a sports car version of its uber efficient XL1 two-seater, which can reportedly return 261 mpg.
While that stunning example of efficiency is powered by a diesel-electric motor combo, it appears now that VW is working on something called the XL1 Sport. It’ll supposedly be powered by a 190 horsepower V-twin taken directly from the Ducati 1199 Panigale superbike instead of the aforementioned powertrain. VW chairman Ferdinand Piech reportedly just showed a group of Austrian technology students a photo of the car at a recent lecture, but the German automaker itself has so far yet to disclose the car’s existence. Photo courtesy of Emil Pamlitschka