THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE VW W12 ENGINE

The W12 engine from VW is almost two engines joined into one, here is the science behind it.

We are used to being exposed to engine configurations, think in-line motors, where the cylinders are in alinement with each other. The boxer engine is another example, where the pistons run in opposite ends of the engine, which help a lot with keeping the centre of gravity low and where you want it. Then, the mighty V configuration, which has two banks of cylinders in the shape of a V, and are home to engines such as a V6, V8, V10 and the big brother, the V12.

However, some crazy and ambitious scientists and engineers at VW thought they needed more displacement, much more displacement, by having a W configuration! Probably the best way of imagining this W configuration is to picture two V engine configurations side-by-side, which will make up the huge W engine configuration.

When the W engine configuration was first developed, it was intended to be used only in aeroplanes from as early as World War I, with a gigantic 24L W12 engine that produced 900hp!

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, Donut Media, on the science behind the W12 engine.

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