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GRID DLC Car Focus: Volkswagen W12 Nardò
2008-07-18 14:33:15
The Volkswagen-Audi Group (VAG) expanded greatly in the 1990s, acquiring many premium brands, most notably Bentley and Bugatti.



In addition to this, there was a desire to take the VW brand itself upmarket with a new luxury model called the Phaeton. All these projects required new engines, larger and more powerful than VW had previously built, in order for the cars to be desirable in the marketplaces in which they were intending to compete.



Since the early 1990s, VW had been manufacturing a family of engines known as “VR”, being “narrow-angle” V-configuration engines. “Narrow angle” refers to the 15-degree angle between the two banks of cylinders, making for a very compact layout compared to a “traditional” V-configuration engine where the two banks of cylinders are often 60 or 90 degrees. This compact layout allowed the engine to be fitted into cars that were originally designed to accept engines no bigger than 4 cylinders inline.



So the W12, as you might expect, is two V6s combined. It’s slightly more involved than that might sound, but essentially the engine is two pairs of cylinder banks connected to the same crankshaft. The result is an extremely compact engine for a 12-cylinder, being not much larger than a traditional V8, with the advantage of being smoother than an 8-cylinder as well.



To showcase this new engine, VW contracted famed design house Italdesign to design and build a show car to showcase the engine. The concept first broke cover in 1997 as a coupe, and in 1998 a drop head version was shown. In street guise, the design is elegant, and undoubtedly a supercar while still retaining VW styling cues. One of the most notable features of the design was the unbroken glass area running from the base of the windscreen, over the roof, to the rear window / engine cover.



Aside from looking very pretty, the car had a second purpose- because VW had not before sold an engine as complex as the W12, there existed a wish to demonstrate the power and reliability of the engine. So, in February 2002 a car was taken to the Nardò test track in southern Italy for a world-record run. The engine in the car was essentially stock, though the car it was mounted differed a little from the W12 show cars, having racing wheels, an extended tail for improved aerodynamics, and an air scoop on the roof. It was also presented in a very purposeful flat-black livery, which, while looking awesome, makes the car an ideal candidate for our Design a Codemasters Livery Contest, which closes next week! So if you want a chance to get your design in GRID, get drawing!



When the dust settled, the car had set 12 outright world and international endurance records. Had the car ever gone into production, it could have been a formidable GT race car. When the DLC pack for GRID launches, you’ll be able to find out just how formidable.