The first V12 engine came to life at the beginning of the 20th century. It was originally used in racing boats but soon evolved into a car engine. The W12 engine shares a similar story. It was used in aircraft during World War I until years later, in the early 2000s, the first automobile-grade W12 engine appeared.
The V12 and W12 are both amazing engines developed by world famous companies. They are both extremely powerful, efficient, and quite similar to each other so that one would not notice any difference other than their physical form. Not car lovers, however. They know that even the smallest details can have a big impact.
The differences between the two come from their manufacturers’ goals and expectations of what they wanted in an engine. If you want to learn more about these two engines, how they differ, and what the results of those differences are, this article is for you.
What is a V12 engine?
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The V12 is a piston engine with two rows of six cylinders arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft.
Although this engine was originally developed in 1904 for use in racing boats, its balance and smoothness were so satisfactory that it was also suitable for use in airplanes and automobiles.
What is a W12 engine?
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The W12 is a piston engine with four rows of three cylinders. They also call it “The Double V” as it gets its W configuration from the pairing of two VR6s attached to a common crankshaft.
It was during World War I that the W12 engine first hit the market. It was intended for use in aircraft because of its phenomenal performance. Later, the Volkswagen Group, having recognized the true power of this engine, continued working on the W12 and made the necessary adjustments so that it could also be used in cars.
Each engine has its own priorities and the W12 is all about performance
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The W12 engine is shorter and wider than the V12 with four banks and fewer cylinders per bank. This arrangement of cylinder and crankshaft enables a higher torque compared to the V12.
If the age-old W12 engine from World War I had an output of up to 900 hp and the Volkswagen W12 broke records on the racing ring in 2002, then the updated version is sure to blow your mind today. The 2020 W12-powered Bentley Bacalar puts out a massive 650 horsepower and an astonishing 667 lb-ft of torque.
Volkswagen, the main W12 manufacturer, is constantly improving the engine, especially when it comes to performance. The 2016 W12 saw a 27% increase in power and 38% torque compared to the 2003 version.
The benefits of the V12 are more about engine balance
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Although longer than the W12, the V12 is smoother and sounds a lot better because it has fewer cylinders in each bank. Each bank in the V12 resembles an in-line six-cylinder engine that has an excellent primary and secondary balance. If you put these straight lines together at the correct V-angle of 60 degrees, the balance of the V12 reaches its peak.
In four-stroke V12 engines, the even firing order is 60 degrees. Therefore, the V12 only performs best when the V angle is 60 degrees. These V12s with different V angles are equipped with crank pins to reduce the unbalanced vibrations and to maintain smoothness.
There is one other factor that contributes to the smooth power delivery of the V12. And it’s the fact that half of a V12’s cylinders are constantly in their power cycle, which eliminates gaps between the power pulses.
While the V12 is pretty common, the W12 is exclusive to Volkswagen
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You can see V12s in many types of cars from several companies. McLaren F1, one of the best supercars of all time; Toyota Century, a luxury car; and the Roll-Royce Cullinan, an SUV, are all equipped with V12.
However, the W12 is only produced by Volkswagen. So W12 engines can only be found in Volkswagen cars or those of the companies that Volkswagen owns. Audi A8L, Touareg, Bentley Continental GT and Bugatti Veyron are the most famous cars with W12 drive.
V12 engines used to be popular in Formula 1. Between the 1965 to 1994 seasons, cars from brands such as Ferrari, Maserati and Weslake had V12 engines. While the use of a V12 in car racing was pretty common, Volkswagen did something extraordinary. They started the W12 project to prove to the world that they could make sports cars too. As expected, their W12 concept car broke records on the Nardo Ring back in 2002, and so the W12 car engine made its debut.
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Hamed Paydarfar
(94 published articles)
Hamed is a literature student, writer, musician and car enthusiast. His favorite subjects he writes about are cars, technology and games. When he’s not writing, he’s either playing music or listening to it.
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