VW’s Forgotten W12 Supercar Claimed 7 World Records And Didn’t Even Reach Production

While the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron are among the most famous cars to feature ‘W’ engines, the Volkswagen Group did design a supercar with a ‘W’ engine well before the Veyron.

The car in question was dubbed the Volkswagen W12 Concept Coupe that debuted at the Tokyo International Motor Show in 1997. It did not hit the production line but it did manage to break a number of world speed records during testing.

Read Also: Take A Look At Some Of VW’s Weirdest, Wackiest, And Wildest Concept Cars

Slotted beneath the sleek bodywork of the mid-engined supercar was a 5.6-liter W12 that was created by pairing two of VW’s 2.8-liter VR6 engines on a common crankshaft. The subsequent engine pumped out 414 hp, all of which was sent through a six-speed sequential transmission and a Syncro all-wheel-drive system.

Over the following three years, VW developed the W12 Concept Coupe and eventually ditched the all-wheel-drive system, replacing it with a rear-wheel-drive set-up. The engine was also enlarged to six liters and tuned to produce 591 hp.

Eager to break some records, VW headed to the famed Nardo circuit in Italy in October 2001. During a 24-hour high-speed run, the car clocked an average speed of 183.5 mph (295 km/h) and covered 4,402 miles (7,084 km). VW’s engineers then returned to the circuit on February 23, 2002, and were able to cover no less than 4,809 miles (7,739 km) at an average speed of 200.6 mph (322.8 km/h). When it was all said and done, the W12 had claimed seven world records and 12 international class records relating to distance and time.


The Auto World

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gearhead Nirvana: We Visit Porsche’s Atlanta Workshop Where Classics Get Reborn

Image
Maintaining any car is a duty that different owners approach in vastly different ways. For some, a few zip ties and a rattle can of spray paint is good enough. Far on the other end of the spectrum are owners like the ones who take their car to the Porsche Classic Center in Atlanta. During our trip there to see the new Macan EV in virtual reality , we had the opportunity to tour the Classic Center as it was deep in the midst of multiple repair and restoration projects.  To the owners of these cars and to the Porsche brand itself, what these mechanics, technicians, upholsterers, and painters are preserving is heritage. The center’s mantra “As good as new. But with even more character” is on display for anyone who visits the site. More: 2024 Porsche Macan EV Arrives From $79k, Turbo Is Faster Than A 911 GT3 Directly south of downtown Atlanta and appropriately located at 300 Porsche Ave, the Porsche Classic Center is now a separate building from the main Experience Center that opene
Read more

As Good As New Porsche 918 Spyder With Just 43 Miles Could Fetch $2 Million

Image
This Porsche 918 has been kept in a climate-controlled storage facility ever since it was delivered. The car is one of just four Hong Kong-spec 918s in existence. Driving the hypercar is a 4.6-liter V8 hybrid powertrain with 887 hp. A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder that has never been registered will be available at a Hong Kong auction running from April 2-5 and is expected to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million. The 918 Spyder launched as one of the ‘hypercar holy trinity’ alongside the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. While there are many low-mileage examples out there, few are thought to have been driven less than this one. Over the past decade, it has been driven less than 70 km (43 miles) and has been owned by a single person in Hong Kong. It has also never been registered for road use. The listing doesn’t specify how the car has racked up 70 km without being registered. Read: This Porsche 918 Is One Of Just 2 With A Gulf Oil Livery Nevertheless, this car i
Read more

VW ID.GAIA Could Be The Perfect Electric Truck, If Only It Existed

Image
A few months ago , we shared a gallery of stunning VW concepts from Sean Keunyoung Oh, a senior design student at the Korea National University of Arts in South Korea. Sean has now come across our radar once again after publishing images of his latest creation, an all-electric pickup truck from VW that could serve as a rival to vehicles like the Ford F-150 Raptor. The concept study is named the ID.GAIA and has been conceived to roll on a skateboard platform and were it ever produced, could borrow its battery pack and electric motors from other EVs produced by VW. From a visual standpoint, Sean’s pickup is quite imposing and has a much more striking and rugged design than the current Amarok. More: Production VW ID. GTI Won’t Have Concept’s Simulated Gearshifts advertisement scroll to continue Sean Keunyoung Oh Key elements of the ID.GAIA’s front fascia includes a gloss black element where the grille would traditionally be located. This piece of black trim connects seaml
Read more