Before long, with the unveiling of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Gordon Murray's T.50, what appeared to be some kind of engine on its way to near extinction was reinvigorated. I am referring, of course, to the most noble of mechanics, the V12 naturally aspirated.
While both the Valkyrie and the T.50 are aided by an electrical component, it's their naturally aspirated V12s — both developed by Cosworth — that continue to dominate events.
Taking these two very special and limited models as a starting point, we have gathered not only some of the (few) naturally aspirated V12s that are still on sale, but we also took some of their most glorious examples from the recent past… Enjoy and increase the volume.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
11 100 rpm! It was with this stratospheric rev limit that we announced the arrival of this naturally aspirated V12 to the world. THE Aston Martin Valkyrie wants to be the road car capable of keeping up with racing GT’s on the circuit — simply insane… And of course it needed an engine to match.6500 cm3, V12 at 65º, 1014 hp of maximum power obtained at a stunning 10,500 rpm, and 740 Nm obtained at… 7000 rpm! Numbers that make anyone's knees tremble… And the sound? Well, divine!
Gordon Murray Automotive T.50
12 400 rpm! It seems like a competition to see who puts the naturally aspirated V12 on the market capable of more rotation. We still don't know everything about the engine of the T.50 , but it is a completely different unit from the Valkyrie, despite both being designed by Cosworth.
In the case of T.50 it is a unit with just 3.9 l, capable of delivering 650 hp at an unbelievable 12 100 rpm (limiter at 12 400 rpm), power that rises to 700 hp when “Vmax” mode is activated thanks to the ram air effect provided by the air inlet on the roof.
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The “father” of McLaren F1 conceived the T.50 almost as a sequel to the F1 itself, following a virtually identical recipe: three seats, with the driver in the middle, and as light (980 kg) and compact as possible — the Naturally aspirated V12 may not come from BMW this time around, but it still has a naturally aspirated V12.
McLaren F1
And speaking of the McLaren F1 , could not not be on this list. The original hyper-sport? Many say yes. Compact, lightweight, wearable, and with what many claim to be (still) the best naturally aspirated V12 ever.6.1 l, between 627 hp (7400 rpm) and 680 hp (depending on version) , perhaps the ultimate masterpiece by the BMW M, or more specifically, by Paul Rosche, and of course, a roaring sound:
Ferrari 812 Superfast
It has been advanced that this will be Ferrari's last “pure” V12 and that the next generation of models with V12 in the rampant horse brand, as we saw on the LaFerrari, will be assisted by electrons — but the naturally aspirated V12, electrically assisted or not , will remain in the near future.
What about the 812 Superfast ? Its engine is the ultimate evolution of the F140, the V12 (65th) that appeared in 2002 with the Ferrari Enzo. In its last iteration, the wildest, according to those who have been able to try it, the capacity is 6496 cm3 and the power rises to 800 hp at 8500 rpm, with a maximum torque of 718 Nm also appearing at a very high 7000 rpm — 80% of this value is available from 3500 rpm.
And of course, it's not just a number engine, but pure auditory ecstasy:
Lamborghini Aventador
If there is a Ferrari on this list, there would also have to be at least one Lamborghini. It was up to the aventador to be the first to receive a truly new V12 (L539), renovating the previous one that remained in production (but with numerous evolutions) since the founding of the brand and for almost 50 years.The new naturally aspirated V12 (V at 60º) appeared in 2011 with 6.5 l of capacity and has not stopped evolving since then. Its latest evolution we could see in the Aventador SVJ, the most extreme version of the Italian super sports (so far)
There are 770 hp obtained at a high 8500 rpm and 720 Nm at a high 6750 rpm at the Aventador SVJ and here you can see him in action also at the Estoril Circuit.
Aston Martin One-77
If the Valkyrie is the most radical expression of the new Aston Martin — for the first time in its history we will have super and hyper-sports vehicles with an engine in the center rear position — we can say that the One-77 was the ultimate expression of Aston Martin until then.
In common with the Valkyrie, we have a naturally aspirated V12 and it too developed by Cosworth (starting from the 5.9 V12 that originally appeared on the DB7), but they couldn't be more distinct units in purpose. Of course, the huge V12 resides in front of the two passengers and not behind.
There are 7.3 l of capacity, 760 hp at 7500 rpm (when it launched in 2009, it was the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the world) and 750 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. And how does it sound? Fantastic:
Ferrari F50
It would never be easy to succeed the F40, and to this day the F50 could not make forget its predecessor, but not because of the ingredients with which it was made. The highlight? Of course, its naturally-aspirated V12, derived directly from the same engine that powered the Ferrari 641, the Formula 1 single-seater of the time.Only 4.7 l (V to 65º), 520 hp at 8500 rpm, 471 Nm at 6500 rpm and five valves per cylinder — three inlet and two exhaust — a solution that remains rare today.
Chris Harris had the opportunity to test the F50, and also the F40, a few years ago and we couldn't pass up this opportunity to remember that moment:
Lamborghini Murciélago
THE Murcielago it was the last Lamborghini to receive the V12 that has been present since the founding of the brand. Designed by the “master” Giotto Bizzarrini, it started its life in 1963 with just 3.5 l of capacity and less than 300 hp in the 350 GT, and would culminate in 6.5 l and 670 hp (8000 rpm) in the ultimate Murciélago, the LP-670 SuperVeloce.
Without a doubt, the best way to say goodbye to all of us, after having equipped all Lamborghini with V12 engines so far: 350, 400, Miura, Islero, Jarama, Espada, Countach, LM002, Diablo, Murciélago and the special and limited Reventón .
Pagani Zonda
Last but not least — or spectacularly … — the immortal Pagani Zonda . The Italian super sports car, as we know, has a German heart with 12 naturally aspirated V-cylinder, and it couldn't come from a better home: AMG.
Behind the M 120 and M 297 designations (developed from the M 120) we find a family of naturally aspirated V12 engines with capacities ranging from 6.0 l to 7.3 l, and with powers that started at a modest 394 hp and culminated in 800 hp ( at 8000 rpm) from the Zonda Revolucion, which you can hear in all its glory: