Rate It: The W12-Powered Un-Volkswagen Supercar

Colin
By Colin Wood
Jul 22, 2020 | Volkswagen, W12

Volkswagen may be best known for making the ubiquitous Beetle and the evergreen Golf GTI, but what about 12-cylinder, all-wheel-drive supercars?

In 1997, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Volkswagen debuted its W12 Synchro—so named because of its 5.6-liter W12 engine and all-wheel-drive drivetrain—to prove that the company was capable of producing both luxury and sports cars.

In this instance, the car's 414-horsepower W12 was essentially two VR6 engines bolted together, thus forming a "W" configuration.

This wouldn't be the only time Volkswagen would tease this concept, as in 1998 they built a rear-wheel-drive, open-top version, followed by the 591-horsepower W12 Nardò in 2001.

The Nardò would later go on to taking the 24-hour speed world record at the Nardò ring, located just outside Nardò, Italy.

Volkswagen would never officially mass-produce the W12 concepts, but the engine that powered them would live on in cars like the Volkswagen Phaeton and the Bentley Continental GT, and would even lay the groundwork for the W16 found in the Bugatti Veyron.

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Comments
NickD
NickD UltimaDork
7/22/20 8:36 a.m.

The VW Golf W12-650 concept was still the best use of a W12 ever.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
7/22/20 8:40 a.m.

Looks very GT1.

12/10. Would drive.

aw614
aw614 Reader
7/22/20 11:57 a.m.

I remember when Piech went on his crazy concept car streak for VAG lol

noddaz
noddaz GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
7/22/20 12:20 p.m.

She's a beauty!

white_fly
white_fly HalfDork
7/22/20 12:56 p.m.

10/10 would bang over just about anything out of Italy.

STM317
STM317 UberDork
7/22/20 1:05 p.m.

It's kind of like a German Saleen S7 in my eyes (meaning good looks, but more understated). That's no bad thing.

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