| Lamborghini LE3512 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |  Lamborghini |
| Designer | Mauro Forghieri |
| Production | 1989–1993 |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | 80°V12 |
| Displacement | 3.5 L (3,493 cc) |
| Cylinder bore | 87 mm (3 in) |
| Piston stroke | 49 mm (2 in) |
| Valvetrain | 48-valve,DOHC, four-valves per cylinder |
| Combustion | |
| Turbocharger | No |
| Fuel system | Direct fuel injection |
| Oil system | Dry sump |
| Output | |
| Power output | 600–750 hp (447–559 kW) |
| Torque output | 285–330 lb⋅ft (386–447 N⋅m)[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Dry weight | 150 kg (331 lb) |
TheLamborghini LE3512 was anaturally-aspiratedV12motor racingengine, designed and developed by Lamborghini, to compete inFormula One. The engine was raced between1989 and1993.[2][3]
Lamborghini made the move toFormula One in1989 when theFIA outlawedturbocharged engines.[4] FormerScuderia Ferrari designer / engineerMauro Forghieri was commissioned to design and build a new, 3.5 litre V12 engine for use by the FrenchLarrousse team in 1989. Dubbed theLamborghini LE3512,[5] (LamborghiniEngineering3.5 liters12 cylinders) the 3,493 cc (213.2 cu in), 80° V12 engine was reported to be the best sounding engine of the new 3.5Lnaturally aspirated formula. Lamborghini representatives stated at the engine's début race, the1989 Brazilian Grand Prix inRio de Janeiro, that they chose a lower ranked team to join Formula One (Larrousse was in its third season usingLola chassis) as it was felt at the early stage of its development the 3512 would not be able to do justice to one of the teams usually closer to the front of the grid. Also, the front running teams already had existing engine suppliers in place (McLaren withHonda,Williams withRenault,Benetton withFord, and Ferrari who made their own V12 engines).
The Lamborghini V12 did impress many in 1989 despite its unreliability, and the engine's best result in its first year came thanks to fast but accident-prone Larrousse driverPhilippe Alliot when he qualified hisLola LC89 in 5th position for theSpanish Grand Prix atJerez, only 1.417 seconds slower than theV10McLaren-Honda of pole winnerAyrton Senna. Alliot then backed up that performance by scoring the engine's first point in Formula One by finishing 6th in the race and setting the 4th fastest race lap in the process. Unfortunately, Alliot's teammate for the second half of 1989, former Ferrari driverMichele Alboreto, never came to grips with either the Lola or the Lamborghini. In his eight races for Larrousse he recorded four DNF's, two failures to pre-qualify, one failure to qualify, and a single 11th-place finish inPortugal.
The Lamborghini V12's best finish came when Larrousse driverAguri Suzuki finished 3rd in the infamous1990 Japanese Grand Prix atSuzuka. Its time in Formula One (1989-1993) would prove to be frustrating though as poor reliability became the norm for the engine, despite being used by Grand Prix winning teams such asLotus andLigier who could boast driving talent such asDerek Warwick (Lotus - 1990), andThierry Boutsen (Ligier - 1991). In a 2014 interview, Warwick said of the 3512 that it was "All noise and no go".
In 1993 after four years in Formula One with only one significant result for the engine,Bob Lutz of Lamborghini's parent companyChrysler, did a hand-shake deal withMcLaren bossRon Dennis for the team to test the LE3512 to evaluate its potential as a race winner.[6][7] McLaren made a modified version of their1993 race car, theMcLaren MP4/8 dubbed the MP4/8B,[6] to test the engine (the test car took three months to modify to fit the longer and heavier V12[7]). Testing was completed by triple World Champion Ayrton Senna, and future dual World ChampionMika Häkkinen at both theSilverstone Circuit in England and theEstoril circuit in Portugal.[7] After his first drive of the car at Silverstone, Senna suggested certain changes to Forghieri (a less brutal 'top end' and a fatter mid-range),[7] and he complied with engine power increased from 710 bhp (529 kW; 720 PS) to approximately 750 bhp (559 kW; 760 PS) and both drivers were very impressed despite the engine still being somewhat unreliable (Häkkinen reported a massive engine blow up while testing at Silverstone,[7] though he did manage to lap the 5.226 km (3.260 mi) circuit some 1.4 seconds faster than the teams MP4/8 race car powered by a 680–700 bhp (507–522 kW; 689–710 PS)FordV8 engine).[6] According to reports, Senna even wanted to race the engine at theJapanese Grand Prix[6] believing that while reliability might be a problem (according to McLaren's engineers, the most they got out of any of the more powerful test engines before failure was just 19 laps at Silverstone), at least he would be quicker than with the Ford powered race car[7] (ironically Senna would win in both Japan and the last race inAustralia with the existing MP4/8). Despite this however, Ron Dennis decided to go withPeugeotV10 engines in1994 due to a better commercial agreement that would give long term stability to the team and at the end of the 1993 season, the Lamborghini LE3512 was retired from Grand Prix racing[7] after the company was sold by Chrysler to an Indonesian investor group led byTommy Suharto.[6]
The Lamborghini, which on all cars it powered carried the words "Chrysler powered by Lamborghini" (other than the McLaren MP4/8B which was all virgin white, though the test engines were badged as Chrysler), was one of only five V12 engines used in the naturally aspirated era from 1989–2013, the others being from Ferrari (1989-1995),Honda (1991-1992),Yamaha (1991-1992), andPorsche (1991). The only other 12 cylinder engines in Formula One during this time were disastrous efforts byLife Racing Engines with theirW12 engine andSubaru who reintroduced theFlat 12 to the sport, both appearing in the first half of 1990.
The Lamborghini LE3512 also saw limited use in theWorld Sportscar Championship in1991. Lamborghini briefly teamed withKonrad Motorsport ran by Austrian driver and team founderFranz Konrad to run the V12 engine in a new chassis called theKonrad KM-011. Unfortunately, the car, driven byStefan Johansson and Franz Konrad, failed to qualify for its first race at theNürburgring, though it would qualify for the next round atMagny-Cours, but only lasted 18 laps before retiring with a failed starter motor.
The car was entered by Konrad for the1992 World Sportscar Championship, but Konrad instead chose to race his more reliablePorsche 962.