Silverstone Auctions is selling a 2014 VW XL1 plug-in hybrid with 79 miles on odometer

The limited-run Volkswagen XL1 plug-in hybrid coupe isn't your ordinary car. While it doesn’t have superb power or excellent handling, it does offer superior levels aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. Too bad, its production was very limited and there is no chance you can get a new XL1.

But in a twist of fate, an almost new VW XL1 is up for auction in the United Kingdom. According to Autoblog, Silverstone Auctions will be conducting the auction for the XL1 plug-in hybrid. In particular, the model to be auctioned is 2014 VW XL1. Yes, this plug-in hybrid model is already around four years old, it is practically new. After all, this super-aerodynamic coupe registered only 79 miles on the odometer.

This 2014 VW XL1 coupe is just one of the 30 examples sold by the German carmaker in the UK. Overall, VW only built 250 models, all of which were sold in Europe including in the UK. Thus, the auction is a great opportunity to purchase a rare model, and a fairly new one not the least.

When it was unveiled, the XL1 was touted by VW as the most fuel-efficient and aerodynamic production car in the world, as a result of adhering to pure sports-car design principles. It boasts of a very low coefficient of drag value at just 0.189 Cd, a low center of gravity as well as a light weight at 1,753 lbs.

The plug-in hybrid system of the VW XL1 is made up of a 48 PS (35kW) two-cylinder TDI engine, a 27-hp electric motor, a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission, as well as a lithium-ion battery. With this on hand, the XL1 can travel at a constant 62 mph while using just 8.4 PS (6.2 kW). As a plug-in hybrid, the XL1 can also go all electric. In this mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh to travel more than a kilometer. The XL1 also boasts of a fuel economy of estimated 261 mpg as per European driving cycle. It sprint from zero to 62 mph in 12.7 seconds and achieve a top speed of 99 mph.

In terms of dimensions, the VW XL1 measures 3,888 mm in length, 1,665 mm in width and 1,156 mm in height. Its length and width are comparable to the VW Polo while its height is similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Design-wise, the XL1 is more memorable because of its wing doors that are pivoted at two points: low on the A-pillars and just over the windscreen in the roof frame.

When it was still being sold as new, the XL1 carried a tag of around $170,000 in the UK and about $150,000 in Europe. The price of the XL1 to be sold in the auction should be lower by a bit.