Lamborghini V12
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 Lamborghini's V12 Formula One engineat the Lamborghini Museum |
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| Manufacturer | Lamborghini |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 60° V12 petrol engine |
| Displacement | 3,464 cc (211.4 cu in), 3,929 cc (239.8 cu in), 6,192 cc (377.9 cu in), 6,496 cc (396.4 cu in) |
| Cylinder bore | 77.0 mm (3.03 in) (3,464 cc) |
| Piston stroke | 62.0 mm (2.44 in) (3,464 cc) |
| Block alloy | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Head alloy | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Valvetrain | initially- 2-valves per cylinder, later- 4-valves per cyliner, 2x double overhead camshaft (2xDOHC - 'quad cam') |
| Fuel system | initially- carburettor, later- electronic multi-point sequential fuel injection |
| Fuel type | Petrol/Gasoline |
| Oil system | initially wet sump, later dry sump |
| Cooling system | Water cooled |
| Power output | 201.3 kW (274 PS; 270 bhp) (3,464 cc) |
| Specific power | 77.94 bhp (58 kW; 79 PS) per litre (3,464 cc) |
The Lamborghini V12 is a V12 engine designed by Lamborghini, and was the first engine ever produced by the firm.
It first entered production in 1963, in 3,464 cubic centimetres (211.4 cu in) (3.5 litre) form in the Lamborghini 350GT, the first car ever produced by the carmaker. The latest 6.5 litre version is used in the current Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Coupé and Roadster.
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[edit] History
There are many versions of the story of its development - some (notably [[L.J.K. Setright][1]]) say it is derived from a Honda Formula One design, others[who?] say that Giotto Bizzarrini borrowed heavily from his own F1 design. Both were 1.5 litre V12 racing engines, and the Lamborghini unit has similarities to both.
In any case, when Ferruccio Lamborghini set out to provide Ferrari with competition, he contracted 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 product was such that, with minor modifications and improvements, the very same engine (in 6.5 litre form) powers the current V12-engined Lamborghini Murciélago LP640, and is estimated to finish its service for Lamborghini with the coming version of the Murcielago, the Murciélago SV.[2]
[edit] Technical overview
Quad cam - 2xdouble overhead camshaft (2xDOHC - two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank) 60° V12 - as an intentional snub by Mr. Lamborghini of Ferrari's single-cam per-bank design (2x single overhead camshaft - 2xSOHC). When the 3,464 cc (211.4 cu in) prototype was tested in 1963, it was able to produce 370 bhp (276 kW; 375 PS) at 9,000 rpm - a figure of almost 107 bhp (80 kW; 108 PS) per litre, and unprecedented at the time. Bizzarrini famously insisted that the engine was mechanically capable of reaching an astonishing 400 bhp (298 kW; 406 PS) at 11,000 rpm with an uprated fuel system, but the design was judged adequate, and when fitted with production carburettors, all the auxiliary systems, and detuned for road use, the engine still made an impressive 280 bhp (209 kW; 284 PS).
[edit] Audi ownership
Over the years, notably since Lamborghini was purchased by Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi AG, the engine has nearly doubled in displacement - first to 6,192 cubic centimetres (377.9 cu in), and later to 6,496 cubic centimetres (396.4 cu in). It has seen the modification of the cylinder heads to allow four valves per cylinder, the replacement of Weber carburettors with electronic fuel injection, and the re-engineering of the lubrication system from a wet sump to a dry sump design. However, the engine that powers the current Murciélago LP640 can trace its lineage directly to the F1-inspired design of Bizzarrini and his team more than forty years ago.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
- list of Volkswagen Group petrol engines article
- V12 - 6.2/6.5 V12 571-632bhp sub-section of the above article
- V10 - 5.2 FSI V10 552bhp sub-section of the above article
- V10 - 5.0 V10 493bhp sub-section of the above article
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini engine |
- ^ "Supercar Classics" magazine, Spring 1986
- ^ "Lighter Murcielago here in 2008". Autocar.co.uk. © Haymarket Media Group 2009. 9 November 2007. http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/229128/. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
[edit] External links
- Lamborghini.com official website
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