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| Lamborghini V12 | |
|---|---|
 From left to right:Giotto Bizzarrini,Ferruccio Lamborghini andGiampaolo Dallara atSant'Agata Bolognese in 1963, with a Lamborghini V12 engine prototype. | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Lamborghini |
| Production | 1963–present |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | 60°V12petrol engine |
| Displacement | 3.5: 3,465 cc (211.4 cu in), 3.9: 3,929 cc (239.8 cu in), 4.8: 4,754 cc (290.1 cu in), 5.2: 5,167 cc (315.3 cu in), 5.7: 5,707 cc (348.3 cu in), 6.0: 5,992 cc (365.7 cu in), 6.2: 6,192 cc (377.9 cu in), 6.5: 6,496 cc (396.4 cu in), 2nd gen 6.5: 6,498 cc (396.5 cu in) |
| Cylinder bore | 3.5: 77.0 mm (3.03 in) 6.2: 87.0 mm (3.43 in) 6.5: 88.0 mm (3.46 in) 2nd gen 6.5: 95.0 mm (3.74 in) |
| Piston stroke | 3.5: 62.0 mm (2.44 in) 6.2: 86.8 mm (3.42 in) 6.5: 89.0 mm (3.50 in) 2nd gen 6.5: 76.4 mm (3.01 in) |
| Cylinder block material | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Cylinder head material | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Valvetrain | double overhead camshaft, 3.5/4.0/4.8: 2-valves percyl, 5.2/5.7/6.0/6.2/6.5:4-valves per cyl |
| Compression ratio | 6.2: 11.6:1 6.5: 11.1:1 2nd gen 6.5: 11.8:1 |
| Combustion | |
| Fuel system | 3.5/3.9/4.8/5.2: 6Webercarburettors, 5.7/6.0/6.2/6.5: electronicmulti-point sequentialfuel injection |
| Fuel type | Petrol/Gasoline |
| Oil system | 3.5/3.9:wet sump, 6.2/6.5:dry sump |
| Cooling system | Water-cooled |
| Output | |
| Power output | 3.5: 273.7 PS (201.3 kW; 270.0 bhp) 6.2: 580 PS (427 kW; 572 bhp) at 7,500 rpm 6.5: 640 PS (471 kW; 631 bhp) at 7,500 rpm 2nd gen 6.5: 700 PS (515 kW; 690 bhp) at 8250 rpm |
| Specific power | 3.5: 79.1 PS (58.2 kW; 78.0 bhp) per litre 6.2: 93.7 PS (68.9 kW; 92.4 bhp) per litre 6.5: 98.5 PS (72.4 kW; 97.2 bhp) per litre 2nd gen 6.5: 107.7 PS (79.2 kW; 106.2 bhp) per litre |
| Torque output | 6.2: 650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm 6.5: 660 N⋅m (487 lbf⋅ft) at 5,200 rpm 2nd gen 6.5: 690 N⋅m (509 lbf⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm |
| Dimensions | |
| Dry weight | 253 kg (6.5 litres)/235 kg (2nd gen 6.5) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Lamborghini V12 L539 |
TheLamborghini V12 refers to the flagshipV12 engine used byLamborghini. Lamborghini has had two generations of V12 engines through their history, both of which were developed in-house. The first-generation Lamborghini V12 was a sixty degree (60°) V12 petrol engine designed by Lamborghini,[1][2] and was the first internal combustion engine ever produced by the firm.
It entered production in 1963 as a 3.5 litredisplacing 3,465cubic centimetres (211.4 cu in) fitted on Lamborghini's first car, theLamborghini 350GT.[1][2] The engine remained in use for almost fifty years; the final version of 6.5 litre displacement was installed in theLamborghini Murciélago. Lamborghini discontinued their first-generation V12 after the Murcielago, opting for a brand-new V12 that first saw use on theLamborghini Aventador.[3]
WhenFerruccio Lamborghini set out to compete withFerrari, he contractedGiotto Bizzarrini to design the engine for his car and, according to some accounts, paid him a bonus for every horsepower over what Ferrari's V12 could produce. The finished 3.5-litre (214 cu in) V12, with minor improvements, went on to become the 6.5 litre powering theLamborghini Murciélago LP 640, and completed its service for Lamborghini with the final version of the Murciélago, theMurciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce.[4]
The engine was designed from the start to be aquad cam 60 degree V12 - as an intentional snub to Ferrari'ssingle overhead camshaft per-bank design. When the 3,464-cubic-centimetre (211.4 cu in) prototype was tested in 1963, it was able to produce 370brake horsepower (276 kW; 375 PS) at 9,000 (rpm), or almost 107 brake horsepower (80 kW; 108 PS) per litre. Bizzarrini insisted the engine was mechanically capable of reaching 400 brake horsepower (298 kW; 406 PS) at 11,000 rpm with an uprated fuel system, but the design was judged adequate, and when fitted with productioncarburettors, all the auxiliary systems, and detuned for road use, the engine still made 280 brake horsepower (209 kW; 284 PS).[5]
Over the years, this V12 engine has nearly doubled in displacement - first to 6,192cubic centimetres (377.9 cu in), and later to 6,496 cubic centimetres (396.4 cu in). It has seen the modification of thecylinder heads to allowfour valves per cylinder, the replacement ofWeber carburettors withelectronic fuel injection, and the re-engineering of the lubrication system from awet to adry sump design. However, the engine that powers theMurciélago LP 640 can trace its lineage directly to the F1-inspired design of Bizzarrini and his team more than forty years ago.[5]
When Automobili Lamborghini was purchased in 1998 by the GermanVolkswagen Group subsidiaryAudi AG, the V12 engine continued undergoing constant upgrades, growing its displacement from 5.7 litres (Diablo VT[6]) to the final displacement of 6.5 litres in the Murciélago LP670-4 Superveloce.[7]
It took years to decide that a new engine was needed to be built from scratch, finally an all-new engine codenamedL539 having a displacement of 6.5 litres for the 2011Aventador was developed. The new engine has a maximum power output of 700 PS (515 kW; 690 hp),[3] is 18 kg lighter, is over-square (95mm bore, 76.4mm stroke)[8] and has a different firing order: 1–12–4–9–2–11–6–7–3–10–5–8 instead of 1–7–4–10–2–8–6–12–3–9–5–11.[5]
| Displacement | Power | Torque | Applications[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | 284 PS (209 kW; 280 bhp) at 6,500 rpm | 325 N⋅m (240 lbf⋅ft) at 4,500 rpm | 350 GT |
| 324 PS (238 kW; 320 bhp) at 7,000 rpm | 350 GTV | ||
| 3.9 | 385 PS (283 kW; 380 bhp) at 7,850 rpm | 400 N⋅m (295 lbf⋅ft) at 5,750 rpm | 400 GT,Miura P400 SV,[12]Islero,Jarama,Espada andCountach LP400 |
| 4.8 | 375 PS (276 kW; 370 bhp) at 7,000 rpm | 410 N⋅m (302 lbf⋅ft) at 4,500 rpm | Countach LP500 S[9] |
| 5.2 | 455 PS (335 kW; 449 bhp) at 7,000 rpm | 500 N⋅m (369 lbf⋅ft) at 5,200 rpm | Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole[10] andLM002 |
| 5.7 | From 485 PS (357 kW; 478 bhp) to 603 PS (444 kW; 595 bhp) at 7,300 rpm | From 582 N•m (428 lb•ft ) to 639 N⋅m (471 lbf⋅ft) at 4,800 rpm | Diablo,[13] Diablo VT, Diablo SV[14] and Diablo SE30 Jota[15] |
| 6.0 | 575 PS (423 kW; 567 bhp) at 7,300 rpm | 630 N⋅m (465 lbf⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm | Diablo GT[11] and Diablo VT 6.0 SE[16] |
| 6.2 | 580 PS (427 kW; 572 bhp) at 7,500 rpm | 650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm | Murciélago[17] |
| 6.5 | 640 PS (471 kW; 631 bhp) at 8,000 rpm | 660 N⋅m (487 lbf⋅ft) at 6,000 rpm | Murciélago LP 640Coupé[18] and Roadster |
| 650 PS (478 kW; 641 bhp) at 8,000 rpm | Reventón[19] and Murciélago LP 650-4 Roadster | ||
| 670 PS (493 kW; 661 bhp) at 8,000 rpm | 660 N⋅m (487 lbf⋅ft) at 6,500 rpm | Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce[7] |
| Displacement | Power | Torque | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 700 PS (515 kW; 690 bhp) at 8,250 rpm | 690 N⋅m (509 lbf⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm | Aventador LP 700-4,Aventador J |
| 720 PS (530 kW; 710 bhp) at 8,250 rpm | Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario | ||
| 740 PS (544 kW; 730 bhp) at 8,400 rpm | Aventador S | ||
| 750 PS (552 kW; 740 bhp) at 8,400 rpm | Aventador LP 750-4 SuperVeloce andVeneno | ||
| 770 PS (566 kW; 759 bhp) at 8,500 rpm | 720 N⋅m (531 lbf⋅ft) at 6,720 rpm | Centenario,Aventador LP770-4 SVJ andSC18 Alston,Lamborghini SC20 | |
| 780 PS (574 kW; 769 bhp) at 8,500 rpm | Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae,Countach LPI 800-4 | ||
| 785 PS (577 kW; 774 bhp) at 8,500 rpm | Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 | ||
| 830 PS (610 kW; 819 bhp) at 8,500 rpm | 760 N⋅m (561 lbf⋅ft) at 7,000 rpm | Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 |
| Displacement | Power | Torque | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 825 PS (607 kW; 814 bhp) at 9,250 rpm | 725 N⋅m (535 lbf⋅ft) at 6,750 rpm | Lamborghini Revuelto |
Lamborghini made the move toFormula One in1989 when theFIA outlawed turbocharged engines.[22] 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,[23] (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 engines 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 engines 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.[24][25] McLaren made a modified version of their1993 race car, theMcLaren MP4/8 dubbed the MP4/8B,[24] to test the engine (the test car took three months to modify to fit the longer and heavier V12[25]). 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.[25] 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),[25] 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,[25] 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 bhp (507 kW; 689 PS)FordV8 engine).[24] According to reports, Senna even wanted to race the engine at theJapanese Grand Prix[24] believing that while reliability might be a problem (according to McLaren engineers, the most they got out of any of the V12s post-Forghieri's changes was 19 laps at Silverstone before the engine blew up), at least he would be quicker than with the Ford powered race car[25] (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[25] after the company was sold by Chrysler to an Indonesian investor group led byTommy Suharto.[24]
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.
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