The 12 Best V12 Engines Ever Made

There are various methods to spice up an engine’s energy, however one of many oldest methods is so as to add cylinders. The V12 has powered a few of the most fascinating and sought-after autos of all time. Creating an engine with 12 cylinders was as soon as one of the simplest ways to attain the best energy output, and inherent to the V12 structure are low vibration and clean energy supply. Moreover, in line with Engineering Defined on YouTube, the mechanics of a V12 engine permit it to be constructed with a lot smaller cylinders and attain a a lot increased RPM, thus delivering extra energy general. This benefit does have a trade-off in making the engines extra complicated and costly to construct whereas including a major quantity of weight over engines with fewer cylinders.

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V12 engines additionally take a look and sound not like anything. The silky clean energy supply has made them a selection for luxurious vehicles for the previous century. Conversely, the quickest ultra-high-performance vehicles have lengthy been hailed for his or her 12-cylinder energy crops, with a few of the most interesting of those born from workshops in Italy. Because the date approaches when all V12 manufacturing ceases, we are able to have a look again during the last century to understand the most effective V12 engines ever made.

Ferrari Colombo V12

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Enzo Ferrari started working after WWII to construct a automotive firm to help his love of racing. The primary unique design engine to return from the brand new Ferrari automaker arrived in 1947 within the Ferrari 125 S. The brand new engine was a V12 with overhead cams and was fed by a trio of Weber carburetors, per Automotive Throttle. Many of the design work had been finished by Ferrari’s engineer Gioacchino and the engine bore his title together with the cubic centimeter displacement of every cylinder, Colombo 125. Essentially the most fascinating reality concerning the first Ferrari engine is that it was a V12 with a complete displacement of simply shy of 1.5 liters, which is smaller than the engine from a mid-’90s Corolla. Energy output was 118 horsepower, nevertheless, it went into an especially light-weight automotive that was aggressive on the observe.

Its displacement grew as did the ability output, however an all-new engine structure was not adopted by Ferrari till the ’90s. A Colombo V12 powers a few of the most unique and costly vehicles on the planet, such because the public sale record-breaking 1962 250 GTO. Earlier than it went out of manufacturing, the scale had grown to 4.9 liters and its horsepower to 395. Lately, a duplicate of the engine that had been pulled from a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE went up for public sale. Bidding for the fully reconditioned engine solely ended at $99,000.

Jaguar V12

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Jaguar Vehicles obtained its begin throughout the interwar interval and resumed manufacturing quickly after the tip of WWII. By the Nineteen Seventies, Jaguar had constructed a status as a producer of upscale vehicles with wonderful driving traits. Plans to construct a V12 went again to the Fifties and Jaguar had drawings prepared to start testing an engine for manufacturing. Jaguar initiated plans for a brand new V12 engine constructed for LeMans racing with a secondary design meant for road-going autos. The V12 was finally put into manufacturing and first went on sale in 1971 mounted within the E-Kind 2+2 sports activities automotive and the favored XJ6 sedan as the brand new XJ12 mannequin (through Jaguar Heritage Belief).

Jaguar bought its V12 engine from 1971 to 1997, with its preliminary dimension of 5.3 liters rising to 7.0 liters by the point it was retired in 1996. Many enhancements had been made to the engine over time though it was at all times a clean and highly effective engine. Nevertheless, it does have an enormous downside in that servicing is extremely sophisticated. Driving mentions its complexity and that it has twin radiators, coolant tanks, gas tanks, and gas pumps to maintain technicians on their toes. That is compounded by a maze of notoriously unpredictable Lucas wiring that requires distinctive ability to diagnose and restore. Regardless of this, traditional Jaguars are stunning vehicles that drive nice, and a well-kept V12 mannequin is one thing to cherish.

Lamborghini Bizzarrini V12

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When Ferruccio Lamborghini was famously slighted by Enzo Ferrari and determined to construct his personal sports activities automotive, he selected to make it with no expense spared. Hagerty explains that Lamborghini instantly got down to construct his automotive first by hiring Giotto Bizzarrini to design the engine. Within the course of, Ferrucio made it clear he wished it to be the most effective and to be a V12. A part of this was to benefit from the ability and smoothness of a V12 and half was to indicate off his wealth –- he was the magnate of a profitable tractor manufacturing facility, in spite of everything.

He ended up with a dual-cam engine with six carburetors and a displacement of three.5 liters. Preliminary horsepower check outcomes confirmed the engine with 360 horsepower, however the closing manufacturing model had 325. Modifications had been made to issues just like the oil pumps and mounting of drive equipment, however the engine finally discovered itself put in within the Miura, which modified the course of automotive historical past perpetually as the primary manufacturing supercar.

The Lamborghini V12 remained in manufacturing for a complete of 48 years. It was up to date with gas injection and quad cams with 4 valves and elevated in dimension to six.5 liters, however the identical underlying structure remained after Audi gained possession. The final of the unique V12 left the manufacturing facility within the Murcielago LP670-4 SV with a horsepower score of 661, marking the tip of an period.

BMW V12

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Within the Eighties, BMW constructed on its engineering experience in constructing high-performance variations of its sedans, releasing the M3 and M5 to essential acclaim. Not desirous to relaxation on its laurels, the corporate regarded to its rock-solid straight-6 engine after which doubled it to create a legendary V12.

The primary V12 out of Bavaria is described loosely as a merging of two of the corporate’s 2.5-liter 6-cylinder engines. This happened in 1988 and provided 295 horsepower with 332 pound-feet of torque. Hagerty lists a few of its extremely subtle expertise for the time together with a complicated mass-air-flow sensor, drive-by-wire throttle, and the block being forged out of Alusil, an alloy of aluminum and silicon. The BMW V12 has been seen in quite a lot of flagship autos together with the 7-series and 8-series, in addition to the 850i coupe.

In newer years, BMW added its VANOS variable valve timing and was the primary to put in direct injection into 12 cylinders. At its peak, the BMW mill positioned right into a Rolls Royce Phantom made 453 horsepower and greater than 500 pound-feet of torque. Plainly this nice engine isn’t lengthy for this world, as BMW has introduced its discontinuation with the ultimate mannequin leaving the manufacturing facility in 2022.

Aston Martin – Cosworth V12

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British luxurious automaker Aston Martin sought assist from Cosworth Engineering within the improvement of one in all its newest engines, stepping up its recreation by releasing two new hypercars, not like something the corporate has made earlier than. The primary of those vehicles is the Valkyrie, launched for the 2021 mannequin yr in a restricted run of simply 150 autos. It’s a modern and low hypercar that may not be misplaced on an F1 observe. Well-liked Mechanics says that whereas this automotive is actually impressed by F1 racing, being pushed on the road means it should behave very in a different way and Cosworth tuned the engine appropriately.

Cosworth says this V12 is a bespoke product that may solely be seen on this automotive and it produces 1,000 horsepower with a redline of 11,100 rpm. It additionally consists of an F1-style KERS to get well misplaced power from braking. Most ultra-high-powered vehicles lately use a number of turbos to generate excessive horsepower scores, whereas Cosworth managed to create the ability of the unique quad-turbo W16 Bugatti with out pressured induction. Not solely have they made this insanely highly effective, but it surely additionally stays emission compliant.

Packard Twin Six

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When Ford’s Mannequin T took over the world, Packard catered to completely different clients, the barons of trade and bankers of the period. Packard vehicles then had been precision engineered and hand-built to the best high quality. The vehicles themselves had been the epitome of luxurious motoring and featured probably the most superior engineering out there. These had been additionally giant vehicles being bought to demanding consumers, thus Packard provided them with probably the most highly effective engines potential, and the corporate created and constructed the primary manufacturing V12 in automotive historical past within the Packard Twin Six in 1915.

Packard developed a V12 engine, in line with Hemmings, as an airplane engine that may even have an vehicle variant. This was finished in order that the corporate may have sufficient orders to justify the event expense as the amount of luxurious vehicles was comparatively small. The engine was 421 cubic inches and produced 88 horsepower, though the torque was appreciable. How Stuff Works lists the 1916-1917 Twin Six promoting worth beginning at $2,750 whereas the Imperial Limousine ran $5,000, and notable house owners of the vehicles included Tsar Nicholas II, the Emperor of Japan, and President Warren Harding. For comparability, a Mannequin T in 1924 was simply $235, per Idea Carz.

[Featured image by Infrogmation via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

Bugatti quad-turbo V12

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Bugatti’s oft-ignored “center baby,” the EB110 is powered by a factor of surprise, a quad-turbo V12 good for greater than 600 horsepower. The McLaren F1 nonetheless will get a lot of the highlight for vehicles of the ’90s, however the bespoke engine on the EB110’s coronary heart of it’s simply as spectacular.

The 2nd iteration of Bugatti turned out to be a little bit of a business failure. Within the three years of manufacturing from 1992 to 1995, solely 139 copies of the EB110 had been constructed, per Motor Pattern. The engine had been designed and constructed from the bottom up as an unique design that includes a 3.5-liter displacement, 4 cams, 4 turbos, and greater than 600 horsepower. This small V12 was surrounded by a carbon fiber chassis, which was not but a typical follow, and drove all 4 wheels, which was additionally not but commonplace for supercars. Creating an engine from scratch and putting in it in an modern automotive with probably the most cutting-edge expertise out there was an especially audacious enterprise. The high-cost manufacturing additionally coincided with a recession which, amongst different elements, led to the closure of the plant in 1995.

The stays of the corporate had been bought to Dauer of Germany, which constructed 4 extra examples of the automotive with some technical enhancements and now provides spare components for the present vehicles, retaining them alive for the foreseeable future.

Ferrari Tipo F140 V12

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Whereas the unique Ferrari Colombo V12 powered a few of the firm’s most luxurious vehicles, as the brand new millennium got here to be, Ferrari wanted a brand new engine to match the out there expertise.

In 2002 Ferrari unveiled its premier supercar, the Enzo, named after the founding father of the corporate. This automotive was a showcase of the unbelievable expertise of engineers on the firm and probably the most subtle expertise created by the automaker. Powering the Enzo was an all-new engine referred to as Tipo 140. This new mill made 651 horsepower from a 6.0-liter displacement that includes twin overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. Ferrari scheduled manufacturing of 399 vehicles, which, in line with Silodrome, had been bought earlier than any had been constructed.

This V12 went on to be present in quite a lot of vehicles from the Ferrari 599 GTB to the Maserati MC12. The Drive says it’s the engine powering the present 812 Competizione gran tourer with 819 horsepower and, with the help of hybrid expertise, pumped energy within the LaFerrari as much as 950.

Cadillac V12

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The Cadillac V12 was a smaller model of the corporate’s grand V16, however the smaller engine outsold the bigger by a major margin and stays an unbelievable piece of early American motoring historical past. The roaring ’20s had been a time of serious constructing of wealth and favorable financial situations general. As a response to the wealth technology, luxurious vehicle firms flourished and labored to fulfill demand with greater and extra luxurious vehicles. Cadillac was a high luxurious automaker and selected to spend money on its largest engines but with improvement starting round 1927.

Cadillac’s engineers finally created a brand-new V16 engine with a barely smaller V12 as a barely extra reasonably priced different. This new engine was not designed such that Cadillacs would have the quickest acceleration, however to have monumental torque to maneuver the massive, heavy, and opulent vehicles with ease. The brand new engine debuted on the New York Auto Present in January 1930 simply two brief months after the inventory market crashed in spectacular trend.

The 12-cylinder engine was the higher vendor by far. It was a slender 45-degree V12 of 368-cubic-inch displacement that made 135 horsepower however delivered clean and practically vibration-free torque. Cadillac’s V12 is intentionally constructed with an uncluttered look that features shiny paint, hidden wiring, and polished metal and aluminum, making it a real factor of magnificence.

Toyota 1GZ-FE V12

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Toyota is well-known for constructing economical transportation with legendary reliability. Whereas lots of its vehicles are largely plain and sensible, it has, at occasions, launched thrilling and modern vehicles, such because the MkIV Supra. Nevertheless, Toyota had been constructing a minimum of one luxurious mannequin match for an emperor since 1967, the Toyota Century.

Constructed by hand to ranges of perfection unattainable by mass manufacturing, the Century is constructed by hand at a particular store. The primary technology was powered by a V8 engine as is the present mannequin, though it’s augmented with hybrid drive (through Motor Biscuit). In between is the primary and solely manufacturing V12 to return out of Japan. The 5.0-liter 1GZ-FE engine was solely constructed for this single mannequin of automotive, and it options twin cams, Toyota VVT-i variable valve timing, 48 valves, and most different of Toyota’s main applied sciences of the time. Energy output is a surprisingly low 275 horsepower, however this engine was created to comfortably energy executives and dignitaries to vital appointments with out breaking down. That it’s overengineered and underpowered contributes to its excessive degree of reliability.

Some intelligent tuners have been capable of get these engines and stick them in different fashions, akin to a Supra, acquiring as much as 1,000 horsepower, proving the engine is manner under-stressed in its unique kind.

McLaren BMW V12

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The McLaren F1 got here out within the ’90s as probably the most aggressive, highly effective, and radical supercar of the last decade. It used ample quantities of carbon fiber for the chassis and positioned the motive force up entrance and within the center, flanked by passengers on both aspect. It was the last word race automotive made for the road and it stays one of the vital precious vehicles ever constructed. For this primary McLaren-built supercar, BMW was contracted to supply the V12 engines with a major diploma of engineering added by McLaren.

The unique 5.0-liter BMW V12 got here out producing 295 horsepower and BMW’s M-division would bump that as much as 375 for the 1992 850 CSi. However for McLaren to construct the last word supercar, far more energy was so as. Engineers at BMW had already been engaged on a modified V12 to enter a scuttled M8 undertaking and transferred a few of that work over to the McLaren energy plant (through Auto Evolution). The tip result’s a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter engine making greater than double the horsepower of the unique at 618. The engine had a carbon fiber consumption manifold, two injectors per cylinder, customized headers and exhaust, and BMW’s VANOS cam timing system. This unbelievable engine is what propelled the F1, per Highway & Observe, to set a world velocity report in 1998 at 240.1 mph, which it held for a few years.

[Featured image by DoctorAlzheimer2 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Audi V12 TDI

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Most automotive engineers are given parameters for a job to fulfill sure objectives and work proceeds accordingly. Nevertheless, typically what comes out of the pipeline can look like wholly pointless and overkill. Such is the case with Audi’s Turbocharged Direct Injection 12-cylinder Diesel engine.

Audi launched its 2008 mannequin lineup together with the Q7 SUV with a number of engine choices. Amongst them was a extremely uncommon selection using Volkswagen’s long-running Turbocharged Direct Injection engine expertise. This time the TDI diesel engine was a 12-cylinder that produced an plentiful 500 horsepower together with an egregious 737 pound-feet of torque. For what quantities to basically a household wagon, this quantity of energy is extreme, but fantastic. High Gear calls it bonkers for having this sort of potential and notes the unique retail worth of greater than $100,000 places it out of the attain for all however well-to-do automotive consumers who seemingly will not see a lot profit to the diesel engine.

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