History of the Lamborghini V12 engine
Believe it or not, the very beginnings of Lamborghini revolved around the V12 engine. Since the 350 GT, the V12 has remained the flagship motor of Lamborghini. Let’s explore further and take a look at the interesting and unique history of the Lamborghini V12 engine.
How many generations of Lamborghini V12 have there been?
Believe it or not, the Lamborghini V12 has only been through 2 generations across over 55 years of cars. That does not mean that Lamborghini ever rested on its accomplishments. See what we mean as we take a close look at the first generation Lamborghini V12.
Facts about the first Lamborghini
What is the first generation Lamborghini V12?
The first Lamborghini V12 had humble enough beginnings by today’s standards. Its first iteration, and it would go through many, had a displacement of 3.5 liters and produced 280 horsepower in the 350 GT. This was later upgraded to 320 horsepower.
By the time the engine hit the 400 GT, and later the Miura, Islero, Jarama, Espada, and the early Countach, it had grown to 3.9 liters of displacement and produced 380 horsepower. The Countach would see two more iterations of this engine with a 4.8-liter version with more torque and a 5.2-liter version with 449 horsepower. This later version was also featured in the LM002.
Read More: What Lamborghini models are not mid-engine?
For the Diablo, including the Diablo VT, and Diablo SV a 5.7-liter version of this engine was delivered that produced 503 horsepower. To up the ante one more time in the Diablo, the displacement grew to 6.0 liters and the horsepower to 549 for the Diablo GT and the Diablo VT 6.0 SE.
The Murcielago got a 6.2-liter version of this engine with 572 horsepower. Later it got three different 6.5-liter versions that produced between 631 and 661 horsepower. If you are keeping track, that means the first generation lasted from 1963 to 2010 increasing in displacement by 44% and more than doubling in horsepower.
What is the second generation of the Lamborghini V12?
When it came time to build the legendary Aventador, Lamborghini went back to the drawing board. They produced a whole new V12 architecture for the first time since 1963.
It would also feature 6.5 liters of displacement, but its horsepower would be 690. Later versions of this engine pushed the horsepower all the way up to 759 for the Aventador SVJ and even 774 for the Sián, all without upping the displacement.
Read More: What is the Lamborghini Sián?
