The History Behind Lamborghini's Flagship V12 Engine

The Lamborghini name and the V12 engine are like bees to honey. The Italian automaker's existing lineup comprises the V10-powered Huracan and the Urus super SUV with its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. But if you want a big, bad Lambo, only a V12 will do, and Lamborghini has answered with the Revuelto hybrid supercar, the Aventador's highly-anticipated successor. The Revuelto not only takes the Lamborghini V12 engine to the electrified era with its performance-oriented hybrid technology, but it could be the swansong for Lambo's fire-breathing V12 motor.

Lamborghini

Since company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini established the legendary automaker that bears his name in 1963, the goal was to make the "perfect car" that would give the folks at Maranello something to ponder, a sports car for the road with none of that racing-inspired nonsense. With that in mind, Ferruccio wanted a V12 for his first car, so he went to Giotto Bizzarrini and Societa Autostar to make one for him. As it turns out, Bizzarrini was behind one of Ferrari's most coveted models, the 250 GT series, so it seems Ferruccio went to the right place for help.

Did you know Lamborghini's V12 engine has only undergone two iterations since debuting in the 350 GT in 1964? Under the hood of Lambo's first production car is a 3.5-liter V12 with four cams and 270 horsepower. The Bizzarrini V12 had a bevy of aluminum internals to save weight, enabling the vehicle to achieve a 158 mph top speed.

And when the 400 GT and iconic Miura debuted in 1966, the original V12 had grown to 3.9 liters of displacement and produced up to 380 horsepower. The same engine would grace the Espada, Islero, and Jarama. But for the Miura, Lambo took the 3.9-liter V12, spun it by 90 degrees, and shoehorned it to the back, marking the birth of the world's first production supercar.

Lamborghini

When the legendary Countach debuted in 1974, it came with an enlarged 4.9-liter and 5.2-liter V12. The latter would also see action in the LM002, Lambo's first SUV. Meanwhile, the Diablo debuted in 1990 and had a 5.7-liter and 6.0-liter variant of the V12, particularly the Diablo GT and Diablo VT 6.0 SE. The Murcielago was the last to use Lamborghini's first-gen V12, having a 572-horsepower 6.2-liter V12 and a 6.5-liter with up to 661 horsepower.

Lambo's second-gen V12 started in the Aventador in 2011. It got an all-new and revamped V12 engine with a revised firing order and up to 770 horsepower in the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae. The second-gen V12 had its first taste of electrification in the limited-edition Sian FKP 37 and Countach LPI 800-4. The Lamborghini V12 engine lives on in the all-new Revuelto hybrid, and it now has three electric motors for a combined 1,001 horsepower.