Lamborghini has only built two V12 engines in 60 years

Believe it or not, only two V-12 engines have powered Lamborghini's supercars over the past 60 years. Having recently built its last non-hybrid V-12 road car, Lamborghini looks back at these two groundbreaking engines.

The first engine was installed in Lamborghini's first production car, the 350 GT, in 1963 and was produced until 2010; it went from 3.5 liters in the 350 GT to 6.5 liters in later versions of the Murciélago.

Lamborghini's first V12 engine began in the 350 GT's front-engine configuration, and later in the 400 GT and Espada. It was later replaced by a longitudinally mounted mid-engine layout in the Countach, Diablo, and Murciélago.

This engine was also used in Lamborghini's first SUV, the LM002. A one-off LM002 was built with a 7.2-liter version of the V-12 engine designed for offshore powerboat racing, producing 700 hp.

The V-12 engine, which featured an aluminum crankcase, cylinder head, and pistons to reduce weight and dual overhead cams, was switched from carburetor to electronically controlled fuel injection in 1986 to meet stricter U.S. emission regulations. To improve throttle response, Lamborghini introduced individual throttle bodies for each cylinder in the 1998 Diablo GT.

Lamborghini, now under Audi management, introduced a 6.2-liter version that produced 580 hp in the Murciélago, which debuted in 2001. Later, as the last update, the engine was enlarged to 6.5 liters and the output was increased to 670 hp

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After 47 years of production, the original V-12 engine was finally converted to a clean-sheet design; the second-generation V-12 engine, introduced in the Aventador in 2011, initially produced 690 hp from 6.5 liters. Although it did not last as long as the original V-12, the engine was used to great effect in numerous Aventador variants and limited special editions, including the Aventador Super Veloce, the SVJ, and the track-only Essenza SCV12.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae, presented in 2021, was the last Lamborghini production car to feature a pure V12 engine without electric assist. In this application, the 6.5-liter V-12 engine produces 769 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque, with peak power screaming at 8,500 rpm.

With the delivery of the last Aventador, Lamborghini ended an era. The Aventador's successor will soon be unveiled with a V-12 engine as part of a hybrid powertrain; in 2021, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed that the V-12 would be something entirely new.