2015 | Volkswagen XL1

Model History

The late Ferdinand Piëch is one of the legends of automotive history. The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, he was behind the development of iconic cars like the Porsche 917, the Audi Quattro and the Bugatti Veyron.

A very hard and uncompromising boss, his expectation were often unrealistic and far-fetched, although in hindsight it did lead to some incredible creations. In 2000, at the Geneva Motor Show, he announced to the world that Bugatti would build a car with 1,001bhp, capable of 400km/h and do 0-100kmh in under 3 seconds. Not only were the world taken by surprise but most of his design and engineering team were too! They hadn’t even built a prototype at that point.

Around the same time work began on a project that would be equally as daunting but instead of ultimate performance being the aim, it was ultimate efficiency. A car that would be capable of 100km on 1 litre of fuel.

Initially dubbed the 1L Volkswagen, it was first seen in April 2002 when Piëch drove it to his last AGM as Chairman. This initial concept used a 299cc one cylinder engine and 6 speed manual transmission. Driver and passenger sat in tandem, like a fighter aircraft and the car weighed just 290kg. All focus was on lightweight materials and aerodynamic efficiency.

In 2009 a new version was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Called the L1 it kept the tandem seating but used effectively one half of the 1.6 TDI engine and an electric motor. The kerb weight grew to 381 kg.

Two years later, at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, the third and final iteration was revealed. Now called the XL1 and now a plug-in hybrid, it was similar in length and width to a Polo and used staggered side by side seating in place of the tandem set up. Despite the kerb weight now being 795kg it was still capable of 0.9l per 100kms or the equivalent of 310 mpg with a fully charged battery.

Despite rumours at the beginning of the project that these concepts would lead to a new production model, the reality proved to be too complicated. It is believed that Volkswagen ploughed over a billion Euros into this idea and in 2013 announced it would produce a limited run of just 250 cars for Europe only. Of those 250, VW kept 50 so just 200 were earmarked to be sold to retail clients at a price of €111,000 EUR. Not bad when you consider they owed VW about €5m a car!

Unsurprisingly, the level of interest far exceeded the 200 cars that would be built. VW had to do a draw and if chosen, you were expected to sign a legally binding purchase agreement and put down a €20,000 deposit, immediately.

Motor Car Offered

The owner of the Volkswagen XL1 for sale with Wrightson Automotive was one of those lucky 200. In fact, just 26 came to the UK, so he was extremely lucky.

Now nearly 10 years later, it is the next owner who will be the fortunate one. To say this car has been well looked after is probably the understatement of the century. 

Despite the fact that this car, number 148 of the 200, has done 12,250 miles and over 150 shows, it is in pristine, “as new”, “out the box” condition. The owner is happy for me to state that the level of care and attention he has put in to preserve the condition of this car, is outrageous, in fact, the word mad was used often to describe his approach. Just to name a few of these “methods”, he:

• Wraps passenger’s feet and shoes in a towel to protect the interior trim.

• Uses wing protectors to drape over the sill when people get in and out.

• Made separate carpet to go on top of the original mats.

• Always covers the seats with quality heavy duty seat covers.

• Wraps anything and everything that goes in the boot in bubble wrap or a soft bag so as not to scuff the CFRP boot trim.

• Has made a rubber protector for the drivers foot rest, as it is just carpet.

• Has kept every presentation book, picture and item that he received when he bought the car and yes, they are all in bubble wrap or padded envelopes.

• Has even kept the original VW metal history file wrapped in protective paper!

While this sort of activity may concern a psychologist, one must take one’s hat off to the commitment and dedication he has taken to preserve this fascinating and frankly, unrepeatable motor car. By unrepeatable I mean both the XL1 itself and the condition of this car, in particular.

If you are reading this, you will know that cars with under 1,000 miles have come to market and yet, those vulnerable sills are still scuffed and marked. Not only that but the complicated workings of the powertrain, especially the mechatronic system on the DSG transmission, do not lend themselves well to lack of use.

The regular use and condition of this particular Volkswagen XL1 means that it has been described by the service team at Volkswagen’s Technical Centre in Milton Keynes as probably the best example in the country. That centre is the only place one can service the XL1 and this example has gone there for every single service without fail. Conveniently, Volkswagen will arrange specialist transportation for all XL1 owners as part of the service.

Accompanying the car is the factory charger unit for the main battery, the factory battery conditioner for the 12V battery, tool kit, tyre repair kit, a brand new set of XL1 mats, a brand new spare set of factory PPF strips for the carbon door sills, a hardcover sales brochure in a presentation box, owner’s manuals in a presentation box, a limited edition framed print no.148 of 200 that was presented with each car and numbered to match the VIN, a USB stick (remember those) with helpful videos and finally, a very rare original press brochure handed out to journalists at the launch.

Even I can be guilty of describing the opportunity of acquiring certain cars as unrepeatable but in this context, it feels totally justified. One needs to see this car in the metal to really appreciate just what an incredible example it is.

Just don’t expect to be allowed to sit in it until you have bought it!