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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

One Lap of the Web: Winter project car edition

-- The gents over at Chromjuwelen compiled a list of their favorite car builds of 2013. Number 10 starts off with a BMW 525i station wagon from the 1990s that's received an LSX V8 engine swap, just to give you some idea what kinds of "builds" Chromjuwelen is talking about. -- If you've seen the 1975-1979 Chevrolet Monza V8, you can bravely click on this link to read its fascinating (in a not-particularly good way) story.

Toyota GT86 Convertible teased by FT-86 Open Concept for Geneva

A roadster version of the Toyota GT86 now seems certain as Toyota tease an open-topped roadster for Geneva with the FT-86 Concept. It took Toyota a long time to deliver the promise of an ‘affordable’ sports car, but the Toyota GT86 has delivered a proper driver’s car at a sensible price (and you can even have it as a Subaru BRZ if you choose). So a success with a single sports car model can mean only one thing – more versions of the same car.