The V12 engine is one of life's all-time greats. Twelve cylinders pumping up and down, creating enormous amounts of power and noise. For decades, the V12 has been exclusively reserved for the most luxurious sports cars with high price tags. In the past, if you wanted to go fast, or you wanted a smooth ride, you needed a V12. However, nowadays this isn't the case.
No matter how great the V12 is, it's a dying breed and manufacturers are not planning on saving it from extinction. Engines like the great V8 prove that you don't need loads of cylinders to go fast.
10 One Of The Best V12-Engined Cars: Ferrari F50
The Ferrari F50 was born two years prior to Ferrari's 50th Birthday. It was launched in 1995 and it was in Ferrari's eyes, an F1 car for the road. It featured a 4.7 liter V12 from a Ferrari 641 F1 car planted in the middle of the car. However, things got a bit more extreme. Ferrari wanted the F50 to feel like an F1 car. therefore, the sound deadening was all removed and things like the suspension were mounted right next to the engine. In fact, the suspension was tuned to be rock hard.
The gearbox was also very close to the rear of the car for better balance. However, this meant when changing gears you felt the vibration of the car most particularly at the higher revs. By far one of the best Ferrari cars ever made but it's just so extreme.
9 V8-Engined Car We'd Rather Own: Koenigsegg Jesko
The Koenigsegg Jesko is more like something out of space than a car. It looks insane and the front splitter and "boomerang" shaped wing produce 800kg of downforce. That's almost a ton. It's limited to 125 cars and all have been sold with 40 to 50 cars being made per year, production started in 2020.
The Jesko was made in honor of the father of the founder of Koenigsegg, Jesko von Koenigsegg. It's warp speed fasts with its 5-liter twin-turbo V8 from the Koenigsegg Agera. It pushes out 1603hp and 1106 lb-ft of torque on E85 biofuel. 0-60 takes 2.5 seconds and the Absolut model of the Jesko hits 330 mph.
8 One Of The Best V12-Engined Cars: Rolls-Royce Phantom 8
Not all V12 cars were built to be fast. The latest Phantom 8 is a work of art in every single way. People can buy fifteen cars for the price of one Rolls-Royce Phantom, but the thing is, it's better than all of those fifteen cars combined. The Phantom 8 carries so much presence everywhere it goes, therefore, you no longer need to introduce yourself.
The Phantom 8 is powered by an ultra-quiet 6.75-liter V12 with 563hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 mph takes 5.4 seconds and flat out it will do 155 mph. Not that these stats matter though. This car isn't made for speed, it's made simply for luxury, hence why most owners won't be driving.
7 V8-Engined Car We'd Rather Own: Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 was the fastest car in the world when it was launched, and the first-ever production car to hit 200 mph. It was made 40 years after the founding of Ferrari and it was one of the last that founder Enzo Ferrari saw. It featured a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that pushed out 477hp and 426 lb-ft of torque.
It's a very quick car, 0-60 mph takes 4.1 seconds, and it has a top speed of 201 mph. It is a very iconic car and by far one of the fastest cars of the 1980s.
6 One Of The Best V12-Engined Cars: Lamborghini Aventador
The Aventador is a hardcore V12 supercar and one of the few V12 cars still on sale today. It was launched back in 2011, and it had mind-blowing looks and performance. The LP700 model produced 690hp and 509 lb-ft of torque. The fastest model is the LP770 SV J that pushes out 759hp and 561 lb-ft of torque. Both the slowest and fastest Aventador models do a sub 3 second 0-60 with a top speed of over 217 mph.
The Aventador was one of the best supercars of the past decade, and it's easy to see why. It's a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 monster and the exhaust note is sublime. We love this monster and just look at the car, it looks like a stealth fighter.
5 V8-Engined Car We'd Rather Own: Porsche 918 Spyder
The Porsche 918 is a computer on wheels and the technology it uses is still classed as quite modern even today, despite this car being launched in 2013. It features a 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 with 599hp and 398 lb-ft of torque as well as two electric motors that push out 282hp and 546 lb-ft of torque. The total output combined is 875hp and 944 lb-ft of torque.
0-60 mph takes 2.6 seconds, and it has a top speed of 214 mph. It is a very clever car and the engine can fully charge both batteries with just 2 liters of gas.
4 One Of The Best V12-Engined Cars: Aston Martin Vulcan
The Vulcan is one very rare car, and for various reasons, most people will never see one. First, only 24 cars were ever built, each priced at $2.3 million. Second, it isn't road legal, and third, it's very difficult to drive and because it's an appreciating asset, most Vulcan cars are kept in a heated garage and will never see a racetrack, ever.
The maximum power of the Vulcan is 820hp and 575 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 takes less than 3 seconds and the top speed is 200 mph. The engine is a naturally aspirated 7-liter V12, and when the Vulcan is going at full chat, it produces 1362 kg of downforce. This car really encourages the driver to go faster for more grip.
3 V8-Engined Car We'd Rather Own: McLaren P1
The P1 is a deadly car. On paper, it's a hybrid car that is making use of technology made famous by the Toyota Prius. It has a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 with 727hp and 531 lb-ft of torque, plus an electric motor that pushes out 177hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. Combined, the power is 903hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 takes 2.8 seconds and it has a limited top speed of 217 mph.
However, in reality, you will never use all of this power, and that's because this car is more than a handful to drive. It's by far one of the best British cars ever made, but you do need a lot of skill to get the most out of it.
2 One Of The Best V12-Engined Cars: Pagani Zonda R
The Pagani Zonda R is a masterpiece. It's a track-only version of the Zonda, and it's completely different from the road-going version as it only shares 10% of the body components with the Zonda F. Only fifteen were made, so it's very rare and we'll probably never see one. It features a naturally aspirated 6-liter Mercedes V12 engine that pumps out 740hp and 524 lb-ft of torque.
The 0-60 time is 2.5 seconds and Pagani says it will do 233 mph flat out. The standard Zonda F was one of the greatest cars ever to come out of Italy so the R, which is a lot more advanced and faster, must be one of the greatest cars ever made.
1 V8-Engined Car We'd Rather Own: Ford GT
Ford decided to celebrate their 100th birthday by re-making quite possibly their most iconic car ever. Not the Model T, the GT40. It began as a concept car, but in 2004 it was launched to the public. By far one of the best ever creations ever to come out of America. It was powered by an old-school 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with 550hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 was dealt with in 3.8 seconds and it had a top speed of 205 mph.
The GT is seriously quick, and it's quite wacky too. It proves that the original GT40 is a timeless car with a timeless design. The GT became popular with tuners, including Heffner Performance, who turned it into a true monster.