Volkswagen W12: the supercar that proved a point

The Volkswagen W12 is a series of concept cars created by Volkswagen from 1997 to 2001, with five prototypes built by Italdesign. They comprised the yellow W12 Syncro Coupé of 1997, the red W12 Roadster of 1998, two W12 Nardò Coupés and the orange W12 Nardò Record Car, which in 2002 set a 24-hour endurance speed record at the Nardò Ring. At the request of Ferdinand Piëch, Giorgetto Giugiaro and Italdesign were asked to design a mid-engined Volkswagen sports car able to take a W12 engine and the Syncro four-wheel-drive system.

Volkswagen W12 at a glance

Written from the English Wikipedia article on the Volkswagen W12; no free photograph of the concept car itself was found, so this page uses no photographs.

History of the Volkswagen W12

At the request of Ferdinand Piëch, then chief executive of the Volkswagen Group, Giorgetto Giugiaro and his Italdesign team were asked to design a Volkswagen sports car that could take a twelve-cylinder engine in a W configuration, be mid-engined and be configured with Volkswagen’s Syncro four-wheel drive. Another reason for the project was to show that the group could build a supercar and a large, reliable engine for flagship models such as the Audi A8, the Volkswagen Phaeton and the Touareg. The W12 in the Nardò concept was closely related to the engines later used in the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur.

The first car, the W12 Syncro, was shown at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show as a bright yellow coupé with a 5.6-litre W12 of 309 kW (420 PS) and Syncro four-wheel drive. It had a front track of 1,620 mm, a rear track of 1,600 mm, front and rear overhangs of 1,000 and 870 mm and a mid-longitudinal engine. The 1998 Geneva show brought the W12 Roadster, an open version with a red body, wider tracks of 1,634 and 1,652 mm, shorter overhangs and rear-wheel drive, using the same 5.6-litre engine and the same 309 kW.

In 2001, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Volkswagen showed the most powerful W12 yet, the bright orange W12 Nardò, named after the Nardò Ring test track near the Italian city of Nardò. Its engine was rated at 441 kW (600 PS) and 621 N·m, enough for 0 to 100 km/h in about 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 357 km/h from a car weighing 1,200 kg. It was later modified into an unpainted carbon-fibre Record Car for high-speed runs at the ring, and after breaking the records Volkswagen restored its orange paint and body panels for museum exhibition. On 23 February 2002 a W12 coupé took the world record for all speed classes over 24 hours at the Nardò Ring, covering 7,740.576 km at an average of 322.891 km/h, a record still valid in 2025.

Design and features

• W12 engine: a 5.6-litre twelve-cylinder in a W layout, mid-mounted.
• Italdesign: all five prototypes were designed and built by Giugiaro’s firm.
• Syncro and rear drive: the 1997 coupé had four-wheel drive, the 1998 roadster rear-wheel drive.
• Nardò power: 600 PS and 357 km/h from 1,200 kg in 2001.
• 24-hour record: 7,740.576 km at an average of 322.891 km/h in 2002.

Volkswagen W12 versions

• W12 Syncro Coupé (1997): the yellow four-wheel-drive concept.
• W12 Roadster (1998): the red open rear-wheel-drive car.
• W12 Nardò Coupé (2001): two cars with the 600 PS engine.
• W12 Nardò Record Car: the orange high-speed test vehicle.

The W12 project was meant to prove the group could build a flagship engine, which then appeared in the Phaeton and the Touareg. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.

Video: 1997 Volkswagen W12 Syncro by ItalDesign

Video by allcarindex on YouTube.

Sources

• Volkswagen W12, English Wikipedia: concepts, specifications, Nardò record