I still can't imagine what a W12 lump actually looks like. I've heard it's two narrow angle V6s stuck together, but have also heard that they are joined at the crankshaft. In that case, how can they be a 'W'? If that was a letter it would be...well sort of 4 lines radiating out roughly in a span of 60 degrees from a single point. That's no way a 'W'!

And actually now I come to think of it, what's the point of a narrow angle V engine anyway? Presumably the idea is to go back to only needing a single head, so why bother trying to V the cylinders at all? Why not just keep them inline?

 

It's not actually 2 cranks stuck together, it's a single crank on what would appear to be 2 V blocks driven under one crank. The major advantage is number of cylinders that can be fitted in a specific length. Imagine how long a inline 16 would be, a V shortens that drastically. A W shortens it hugely. It's just recently the technology has become available to build such an engine.

 

Sorry that's a W16 I just answered for

 

OK...

Take a VR6 engine out of a MK3 golf or a Corrado. It's six cylinders set in a narrow V, 3, per side, 15 degrees between the backs ISTR. One cylinder head covering the whole top end.

For a W12, you take two VR6s top ends and join them to a common bottom end forming a W12.

W12 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

J.

 

So am I right in thinking that 'W' is not actually the correct shape to describe it, because that would imply two narrow V6s with separate cranks and only joined with one shared head? In fact there is no letter that adequately describes the shape although it either of these shapes:

\V/ _V_

could be joined together at the bottom it would be close?

 

Calling it a W12 is a schmanky marketing thing, surely. I'm sure the engineers call it something else like compact multi-geometry 12 cylinder or some such.

"Mein Gott, vot have zey called it!"

"Ze W12" <shakes head teutonically>

"Zat ist it! I am off to run mein parents hunting lodge in Bavaria!"

J.

 

 

That look like it would be quite powerful

 

A VR6 isnt actually a vee engine, its an offset-bore: essentially a straight six. The VR6 engines and their derivatives have a single cylinder head. a so-called 'W' configuration engine arranges two of these in a true vee configuration.

 

Its what the Bentley GT has,
The 6-litre twin turbocharged W12- engine’s power output was 552bhp/411KW.

 

Saw an audi a8 for sale with a W12.. it was lovely heheh!

 

Don't various europeans call a "W" a "double-v"? That seems a more logical explaination for the layout.

 

Its a 'vee'. What VAG call a 'vee' is, in reality, an offset-bore staight six. Its quite a piece of engineering, but calling it a 'W' is marketing bollocks.

Simon

 

It's used in the Phaeton too. Didn't sell well!

 

OK I've finally got it now. It's basically a V, not a W at all. Cheers!

 

How is your German - this might help?
YouTube - Bugatti Veyron motor W16 turbo (3D German)

 

If you think a W12 is hard to explain, try a Napier Deltic

 

I'd say you pretty much hit the nail on the head there

 

Frogs do, krauts don't

 

w12 engines never heard of it

 

And I thought I was doing well understanding rotaries and desmodronic.

 

Nice

Cheers
Lee

 

Here's a Deltic from the National Rail Museum at York, well worth a visit and its free.