Volkswagen W12 Coupe

In the future, all Volkswagens in the upper and luxury classes will be equipped with the high-torque W-configuration engines, which are characterised by exceptionally low levels of vibration and the best possible acoustic qualities.

The Volkswagen Passat W8 is already using an eight cylinder version of this configuration, and the 12-cylinder engine will power several other Volkswagen Group upmarket vehicles, including the new Phaeton luxury saloon which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month and a yet-to-be-released premium off-road vehicle - in both cases, the 6.0-litre engine will be in a lower state-of-tune, producing 309 kW/ 420 bhp.

A 16-cylinder version has also been developed and will be used in the beautiful Bugatti Veyron.

The engine is compact, harmonically balanced and ... awesome

The 440 kW, six-litre, 12-cylinder engine is made up of two very thin V6 four-valve modules which are configured at an angle of 72 degrees with a joint crankshaft with seven main bearings to make up a V-V or W configuration.

The cylinder angle is just 15 degrees within the two V6 banks. The engine is mid-mounted in the W12 and with a length of 513 millimetres, a height of 715 millimetres and a width of 710 millimetres, is particularly compact. At 239 kilos, the engine is also very light. A further indication of the systematic light-weight construction approach taken by VW can be seen in the valve and timing-chain covers, which are made of magnesium.

The engine, which is located between the passenger compartment and the rear axle, has an extraordinarily torsionally-rigid aluminium crankcase with wear-resistant cylinder sleeves. All other construction details of the W12 engine, which has a compression ratio of 12:1, are also indications of an extremely high-tech assembly: the spark plugs are positioned centrally in the pent-roof combustion chamber, making optimal combustion possible; the same applies for the flow-optimised intake ports.

A double-flow magnesium variable intake manifold supports the particularly dynamic torque curve. The variable intake and exhaust valve timing has a decisive influence on power development: the inlet camshafts can be continually adjusted through 52 degrees and the corresponding value for the exhaust camshaft is 22 degrees.

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