V12 engine

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Colombo Type 125 "Testa Rossa" engine in a 1961 Ferrari 250TR Spyder
V-12 engine simplified cross-section
V12 redirects here. For the V12 Training program, see V-12 Navy College Training Program.

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders. Like a straight-6, this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no balance shafts. A V12, with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60° or 180° from each other, has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as, and is smoother than a straight-6 because there is always positive net torque output, as with an engine with 7 or more cylinders. This allows for great refinement in a luxury car; in a racing car, the rotating parts can be made much lighter and thus more responsive, since there is no need to use counterweights on the crankshaft as is needed in a 90° V8 and less need for the inertial mass in a flywheel to smooth out the power delivery. In a large, heavy-duty engine, a V12 can run slower than smaller engines, prolonging engine life.

Aviation

V12 engines were first seen in aircraft. By the end of World War I, the V12 configuration was a fairly popular one in the newest and largest fighters and bombers; V12 engines were produced by companies such as Renault and Sunbeam. Many Zeppelins had V12 engines, from German manufacturers Maybach and Daimler. Various US companies produced the Liberty L-12; the Curtiss NC Flying boats, such as the first aircraft to make a transatlantic flight, the NC-4, had a set of four V12 engines.

A number of World War II fighters and bombers used V12 engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon, the Klimov VK-107 or the Allison V-1710 on the Allied side, or the Daimler-Benz DB 600 and Junkers Jumo V12s on the German side. These engines were generating about 1,000 horsepower (0.75 MW) at the beginning of the War and about 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) at their ultimate evolution stage. The German DB 605D engine even reached 2000 hp (1.50 MW) with methanol-water injection. Their use disappeared quickly after the advent of the jet engine. In contrast to most allied V12s, the motors built in Germany by Daimler-Benz and Jumo were primarily inverted, which had the advantages of lower centers of gravity and improved visibility for single-engined designs

V12 road cars

In automobiles, V12 engines have never been common due to their complexity and cost. They are used almost exclusively in expensive sports cars and luxury cars and are sought after for their power and relatively vibration-free operation.

Prior to World War II, twelve-cylinder engines were found in many luxury models, including cars from Auburn, Cadillac, Packard, Lincoln, Franklin, Rolls-Royce, and Hispano-Suiza. Packard's 1912 "Double Six" is widely regarded as the first production V12 engine.

Ferrari have traditionally reserved their top V12 engine for their top-of-the line luxury sports sedan since 1971.

German manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW both introduced V12 designs in model year 1991 and 1986, respectively. The BMW-designed V12 also appears in Rolls-Royce cars, while the Mercedes engine is also seen in Maybach cars. Aston Martin introduced a (Cosworth) V12 model in 2000, while Cadillac has contemplated re-introducing the V12 after 60 years with a version of their Cadillac Northstar engine.

In 1997, Toyota equipped their Century Limousine with a 5.0 L DOHC V-12 (model # 1GZ-FE), making it the first and only Japanese front-engine, rear-wheel drive production car equipped with a V12.

TVR made and tested a 7.7 L V12 called the Speed Twelve, reportedly making 800+ BHP naturally aspirated, but the project was scrapped after the car it was designed for was deemed too powerful for practical use.

List of Post-1945 V-12 Production Road Cars (Alphabetical by make, sub-sorted by year of introduction):

See also: W12 engine


Sport-utilities:

Concept cars:

Heavy trucks

Tatra uses a 17.6 L air-cooled turbo diesel V12 engine in many of their trucks, for instance the Tatra T813 and Tatra T815. Some trucks have been fitted with twin V12s.

GMC produced a large gasoline-burning V12 from 1960 to 1965 for trucks, the "Twin-Six"; it was basically GMC's large-capacity truck 351 V6, doubled, with four rocker covers and four exhaust manifolds. 56 major parts are interchangeable between the Twin-Six and all other GMC V-6 engines to provide greater parts availability and standardization Its engine displacement was 702 in³ (11.5 L), and while power was not too impressive at 250 SAE net horsepower (190 kW), torque was 585 lbf·ft (793 N·m). It was possibly the last gasoline engine used in heavy trucks in the United States.

Detroit Diesel produced their Series 53, 71, 92, and 149 engines as V-12's, among other configurations.

Auto racing

V12 engines used to be common in Formula One and endurance racing. Between 1965 and 1980, Ferrari, Weslake, Honda, BRM, Maserati, Matra, Alfa-Romeo, Lamborghini and Tecno used 12-cylinder engines in Formula One, either V12 or Flat-12, but the Ford (Cosworth) V8 had a slightly better power-to-weight ratio and less fuel consumption, thus it was more successful despite being less powerful than the best V12s. During the same era, V12 engines were superior to V8s in endurance racing, reduced vibrations giving better reliability. In the 1990s, Renault V10 engines proved their superiority against the Ferrari and Honda V12s and the Ford V8. The last V12 engine in Formula One, was the Ferrari 044, in the Ferrari cars driven by Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger in 1995.

At the Paris motor show 2006 Peugeot presented a new racing car, as well as a luxury saloon concept car, both called 908 and fitted with a V12 Diesel engine producing around or even surpassing 700 DIN HP. This car will take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007 race.

Large diesel engines

V12 is a common configuration for large diesel engines; most are available with differing numbers of cylinders in V configuration to offer a range of power ratings. Many diesel locomotives have V12 engines.

Mercedes (MTU) manufacture a line of V12 diesel engines for marine use. These engines commonly power craft up to about 100 tonnes in pairwise configurations and range in power from about 1 to 4 MW.

Tanks and other AFVs

V12 is a common configuration for tank and other armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). Some examples are:

  • German Maybach HL120TRM gasoline engine, used on World War II Pz Kpfw III and Pz Kpfw IV tanks.
  • Russian V-12 diesel engine, used on World War II T-34, KV-1 and IS-2 tanks.

One such V12 Tank engine made its way into a Hot Rod style car called the Blastolene Special.

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