18 Apr 01
Just 500 of these will be made, all left-hand drive, beginning with long-wheelbase versions and joined in three months' time by a regular-length model. It won't be sold in the UK officially, though - we'll have to wait for the new A8 range in a year or so's time.
Designed to take on the grandest S-Class Mercedes and the BMW 750iL, the W12 is another variation on VAG's W, or more accurately double-V, modular engine idea. Effectively two VR6 units angled at 72 deg to each other and running on a common crankshaft, it's probably the most compact 12-cylinder engine ever, weighing just 30 kg more than the V8 and occupying just 51.3 cm of underbonnet length - 2mm more than the V8. But it delivers 420 bhp - more than any other current-production V12 - and up to 406 lb ft of torque, 332 lb ft of which is on tap even at idle.
Inside the engine are four camshafts, all with variable valve timing, and a total of four drivechains for the cams and the oil pumps that power the racing-style dry-sump lubrication system. Attached to the engine are a two-stage variable-resonance inlet manifold and six catalytic converters.
If it all sounds like overkill, the better to justify a price 30 per cent higher than that charged for a top-spec 4.2, the first prod of the accelerator does nothing to dispel that idea: the lack of aural drama is extraordinary. Given a clear autobahn, 140 mph comes up with little more than a tickling of the pedal, 155 without much more effort - which means it would be a frustratingly unstimulating prospect if kept within UK-legal speeds. A speed-limiter prevents exploration of where aerodynamics and rolling resistance might eventually overcome the engine's urge.
