11,000 RPM
(DUCATI MEETS VOLKSWAGEN CAR)
Decades from now, automotive historians may well regard 2015 as the high-water mark in performance cars, the same way muscle-car fans wax rhapsodic about the halcyon days of 1969’70.
And why not? We’ve seen the debut of the 650-horsepower Corvette Z06 convertible, the 707-horse Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcats and the first allnew Mustang in a decade. But while brute horsepower is fun and gas is cheap right now, the long-term future of performance cars involves efficiency more than muscle.
Volkswagen has rolled out what could be a true game changer on that front: the XL Sport concept car. In a nutshell, the XL Sport is a featherweight 1,962 pounds and is powered by a 197-horsepower Ducati Superleggera V-Twin motorcycle engine that propels it to 100 km-h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of 168 mph. The engine connects to a seven-speed “DSG” paddle-shift automated manual transmission.
According to VW, the Ducati powerplant is the most powerful two-cylinder motorcycle engine in the world and is lightweight, too, with magnesium-alloy components and titanium connecting rods. There will be just 500 Ducati 1199 Superleggera motorcycles produced with this engine.
The 1.2-liter Ducati powerplant, which was only slightly modified for use in the XL Sport, revs all the way to 11,000 rpm. It features double-overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, with each valve banked at angle of 90 degrees to each other. The high rev range is made possible by a large cylinder bore with an unusually short-stroke crankshaft.
VW also claims the XL Sport has the best ratio among weight, power and aerodynamics of any sports car.
Aerodynamic efficiency is key to the XL Sport’s performance capabilities. The coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.258 and the low frontal area of 1.7 square meters combine for a CdA (drag area) of 0.44 square meters, which VW officials describes as “one of the best values ever achieved and a major triumph for Volkswagen’s aerodynamicists and designers.”
To achieve those numbers, VW designers and engineers paid an extraordinary amount of attention to fine details throughout. Built into the XL Sport are vanes to direct air into specific channels at the front end; wheel arch vents; an optimized underbody; hood air ducts to reduce drag; an extendable rear spoiler; and adaptive air vents mounted in the rear hatch.
Although the XL Sport is based on VW’s 261-mpg XL1 uber-economy car, the sport gets a much, much beefier chassis. Upgrades include high-strength steel subframes to hold upper and lower control arms at the front. Meaty ceramic-disc brakes bring needed stopping power while forged magnesium-alloy wheels are 53 pounds lighter than conventional aluminum-alloy wheels for a set of four.
Like the XL1, the XL Sport uses carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, or CFRP, for its central structure, or tub, and most of the body panels. The gullwing doors of the XL Sport swing up and out for easy ingress and egress and use lightweight polycarbonate material for the side windows.
From a design standpoint, the XL Sport is about 15 inches longer and 7 inches wider than the XL1. The reason for this, VW officials said, is the need for additional surface area to produce aerodynamic drag and to make room for the high-performance bits underneath, including the larger and meatier wheels and tires.
The result is sensational: a sexy, speedy two-seater that is a pioneer in marrying high performance with high efficiency.
Of course, the burning question is, will VW actually manufacture this bantamweight supercar? The official word is that the XL Sport is a concept car and only a concept car. But you’ve got to believe that even if the XL Sport never actually reaches production, at some point, there will be a Volkswagen sports car that incorporates much of what was learned in this stunning creation.