| Lamborghini V12 | |
| Manufacturer: | Lamborghini |
| Configuration: | 60° V12 petrol engine |
| Production: | 1963–present |
| Successor: | Lamborghini V12 L539 |
| Displacement: | 3.5: 3465abbr=on1abbr=on, 3.9: 3929cc, 4.8: 4754cc, 5.2: 5167cc, 5.7: 5707cc, 6.0: 5992cc, 6.2: 6192cc, 6.5: 6496cc, 2nd gen 6.5: 6498cc |
| Bore: | 3.5: 77mm 6.2: 87mm 6.5: 88mm 2nd gen 6.5: 95mm |
| Stroke: | 3.5: 62mm 6.2: 86.8mm 6.5: 89mm 2nd gen 6.5: 76.4mm |
| Weight: | 253 kg (6.5 litres)/235 kg (2nd gen 6.5) |
| Block: | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Head: | Cast aluminium alloy |
| Valvetrain: | double overhead camshaft, 3.5/4.0/4.8: 2-valves per cyl, 5.2/5.7/6.0/6.2/6.5: 4-valves per cyl |
| Fuelsystem: | 3.5/3.9/4.8/5.2: 6 Weber carburettors, 5.7/6.0/6.2/6.5: electronic multi-point sequential fuel injection |
| Fueltype: | Petrol/Gasoline |
| Oilsystem: | 3.5/3.9: wet sump, 6.2/6.5: dry sump |
| Coolingsystem: | Water-cooled |
| Power: | 3.5: 273.7PS 6.2: 5800NaN0 at 7,500 rpm 6.5: 6400NaN0 at 7,500 rpm 2nd gen 6.5: 7000NaN0 at 8250 rpm |
| Specpower: | 3.5: NaN1NaN1 per litre 6.2: NaN1NaN1 per litre 6.5: NaN1NaN1 per litre 2nd gen 6.5: NaN1NaN1 per litre |
| Torque: | 6.2: 650abbr=on0abbr=on at 5,500 rpm 6.5: 660Nm at 5,200 rpm 2nd gen 6.5: 690Nm at 5,500 rpm |
| Compression: | 6.2: 11.6:1 6.5: 11.1:1 2nd gen 6.5: 11.8:1 |
The Lamborghini V12 refers to the flagship V12 engine used by Lamborghini. 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 litre displacing 3465cc fitted on Lamborghini's first car, the Lamborghini 350GT.[1] [2] The engine remained in use for almost fifty years; the final version of 6.5 litre displacement was installed in the Lamborghini Murciélago. Lamborghini discontinued their first-generation V12 after the Murcielago, opting for a brand-new V12 that first saw use on the Lamborghini Aventador.[3]
When Ferruccio Lamborghini set out to compete with Ferrari, he contracted Giotto 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 3.5litre V12, with minor improvements, went on to become the 6.5 litre powering the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640, and completed its service for Lamborghini with the final version of the Murciélago, the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce.[4]
The engine was designed from the start to be a quad cam 60 degree V12 - as an intentional snub to Ferrari's single overhead camshaft per-bank design. When the 3464cc prototype was tested in 1963, it was able to produce 3700NaN0 at 9,000 (rpm), or almost 107bhp per litre. Bizzarrini insisted the engine was mechanically capable of reaching 400bhp 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 280bhp.[5]
Over the years, this V12 engine has nearly doubled in displacement - first to 6192cc, and later to 6496cc. 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 to a dry sump design. However, the engine that powers the Murciélago 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 German Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi 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 codenamed L539 having a displacement of 6.5 litres for the 2011 Aventador was developed. The new engine has a maximum power output of 7000NaN0,[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 | Applications | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | 2840NaN0 at 6,500 rpm | 325Nm at 4,500 rpm | 350 GT |
| 3240NaN0 at 7,000 rpm | 350 GTV | ||
| 3.9 | 3850NaN0 at 7,850 rpm | 400Nm at 5,750 rpm | 400 GT, Miura P400 SV,[12] Islero, Jarama, Espada and Countach LP400 |
| 4.8 | 3750NaN0 at 7,000 rpm | 410Nm at 4,500 rpm | Countach LP500 S |
| 5.2 | 4550NaN0 at 7,000 rpm | 500Nm at 5,200 rpm | Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole and LM002 |
| 5.7 | From 485 PS (357 kW; 478 bhp) to 6030NaN0 at 7,300 rpm | From 582 N•m (428 lb•ft) to 639Nm at 4,800 rpm | Diablo,[13] Diablo VT, Diablo SV[14] and Diablo SE30 Jota[15] |
| 6.0 | 5750NaN0 at 7,300 rpm | 630Nm at 5,500 rpm | Diablo GT and Diablo VT 6.0 SE[16] |
| 6.2 | 5800NaN0 at 7,500 rpm | 650Nm at 4,000 rpm | Murciélago[17] |
| 6.5 | 6400NaN0 at 8,000 rpm | 660Nm at 6,000 rpm | Murciélago LP 640 Coupé[18] and Roadster |
| 6500NaN0 at 8,000 rpm | Reventón[19] and Murciélago LP 650-4 Roadster | ||
| 6700NaN0 at 8,000 rpm | 660Nm at 6,500 rpm | Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce |
Type: 60° V12 fuel feed by Multi Point Fuel Injection
Displacement: 6498.481NaN1
Bore x stroke: NaNmm 541.541NaN1
Variable valve timing electronically controlled
11.8 (± 0.2) : 1
Maximum power: 7000NaN0 at 8,250 rpm
Maximum torque: 690Nm at 5,500 rpm
Emission class: Euro 6 – LEV 2
Emissions control system: Catalytic converters with lambda sensors
Water and oil cooling system in the rear with variable air inlets
Lamborghini Iniezione Elettronica (LIE) with Ion current analysis
Lubrication system: Dry sump[20]
Weight: 235 kg[21]
| Displacement | Power | Applications | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 7000NaN0 at 8,250 rpm | 690Nm at 5,500 rpm | Aventador LP 700-4, Aventador J |
| 7200NaN0 at 8,250 rpm | 690Nm at 5,500 rpm | Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario | |
| 7400NaN0 at 8,400 rpm | 690Nm at 5,500 rpm | Aventador S | |
| 7500NaN0 at 8,400 rpm | 690Nm at 5,500 rpm | Aventador LP 750-4 SuperVeloce and Veneno | |
| 7700NaN0 at 8,500 rpm | 720Nm at 6,720 rpm | ||
| 7800NaN0 at 8,500 rpm | 720Nm at 6,750 rpm | Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae, Countach LPI 800-4 | |
| 7850NaN0 at 8,500 rpm | 720Nm at 6,720 rpm | ||
| 8250NaN0 at 9,250 rpm | 725Nm at 6,750 rpm | ||
| 8300NaN0 | 832Nm |
See also: Lamborghini LE3512. Lamborghini made the move to Formula One in when the FIA outlawed turbocharged engines.[22] Former Scuderia Ferrari designer / engineer Mauro Forghieri was commissioned to design and build a new, 3.5 litre V12 engine for use by the French Larrousse team in 1989. Dubbed the Lamborghini LE3512,[23] (Lamborghini Engineering 3.5 liters 12 cylinders) the 3493abbr=on1abbr=on, 80° V12 engine was reported to be the best sounding engine of the new 3.5L naturally aspirated formula. Lamborghini representatives stated at the engines début race, the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, that they chose a lower ranked team to join Formula One (Larrousse was in its third season using Lola 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 with Honda, Williams with Renault, Benetton with Ford, 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 driver Philippe Alliot when he qualified his Lola LC89 in 5th position for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, only 1.417 seconds slower than the V10 McLaren-Honda of pole winner Ayrton 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 driver Michele 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 in Portugal.
The Lamborghini V12's best finish came when Larrousse driver Aguri Suzuki finished 3rd in the infamous 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. 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 as Lotus and Ligier who could boast driving talent such as Derek Warwick (Lotus - 1990), and Thierry 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 company Chrysler, did a hand-shake deal with McLaren boss Ron Dennis for the team to test the LE3512 to evaluate its potential as a race winner.[24] [25] McLaren made a modified version of their race car, the McLaren 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 Champion Mika Häkkinen at both the Silverstone Circuit in England and the Estoril 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 7100NaN0 to approximately 7500NaN0 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 6800NaN0 Ford V8 engine).[24] According to reports, Senna even wanted to race the engine at the Japanese Grand Prix[24] believing that while reliability might be a problem, 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 in Australia with the existing MP4/8). Despite this however, Ron Dennis decided to go with Peugeot V10 engines in 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 by Tommy 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), and Porsche (1991). The only other 12 cylinder engines in Formula One during this time were disastrous efforts by Life Racing Engines with their W12 engine and Subaru who reintroduced the Flat 12 to the sport, both appearing in the first half of 1990.