Crank It Up to 12: Every V12 Production Vehicle Available to Buy New in 2024

Passenger vehicles were introduced to V12s back in the 1910s. Packard comes to mind, whose Twin Six left a lasting impression on a young Enzo Ferrari. This engine configuration entered the mainstream in the 1930s with the likes of the Cadillac V-12, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12, Lincoln K Series, Hoch 12, Maybach Zeppelin, and Daimler Double-Six.

Two inline-sixes matched to a common crankshaft make the V12 inherently balanced. However, there are plenty of drawbacks as well, beginning with packaging and service costs. Drawbacks further include poor fuel economy and high emissions, hence the V12's slow but steady phase-out in favor of more frugal engines or electric muscle.

Looking at the glass half full, prospective customers are presented with limited choices at the moment of reporting. Our list of V12 production vehicles available to buy new in 2024 includes a single model from the Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese, quite a few Astons and Fezzas, and most of R-R's lineup. That being said, let's kick this off with the most coveted Vantage of them all.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage

The Aston Martin AE31 twin-turbo V12 replaces the free-breathing AML V12 introduced by the DB7 Vantage in 1999. For this application, the British automaker cranked things up to 700 metric ponies or 690 mechanical ones. It also develops 753 Nm or 555 pound-feet of twist at 1,800 rpm.

Unveiled in March 2022, the V12 Vantage started customer deliveries in the second quarter of 2022. That summer, the V12 Vantage also received a canvas-topped sibling. Only 333 coupes and 249 roadsters will be produced. When it was revealed, the V12 Vantage used to retail at $298,200 as opposed to $143,900 for the V8 specification.

Exclusively automatic, this ultimate iteration of the second-generation Vantage also happens to be Aston Martin's final Vantage with twelve cylinders. Going forward, only the AMG-supplied V8 will have to suffice. Come February 12, 2024, the refreshed Vantage will debut with a plethora of changes, including a DB12-inspired cabin.

Aston Martin DB11

Replacing the long-running DB9, the DB11 was discontinued last year in favor of the V8-exclusive DB12. A few examples of the breed are still available to purchase with delivery miles. The only downside to picking the DB11 over a brand-new DB12 is the outdated interior, which features the universally detested scroll wheel and touchpad infotainment system from Mercedes-Benz AG.

A stupidly beautiful grand tourer, the DB11 was a watershed moment for Aston Martin Lagonda. Not only did it debut the AE31 engine, but it also premiered the Second Century platform. Said architecture is also used by the Vantage series.

The DBX is its own thing, and thus far, Aston Martin couldn’t make a case for a V12 in the automaker's first-ever sport utility vehicle. Given that Bentley discontinued the Bentayga W12 in late 2023 due to emission regulations and the automaker's gradual switch to electric, it's unlikely that Aston Martin will ever make a case for it.

Aston Martin DBS

Sometimes described as the DB11 on steroids, the DBS line was resurrected in 2018 with 725 ps (715 hp) to its name. Aston Martin sweetened the deal to 770 metric horsepower in the DBS 770 Ultimate, which – strangely enough – doesn't feature Superleggera badges on the hood. A missed opportunity, but on the other hand, bear in mind that Milan-based Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera didn't have a say in the design of the DBS.

Gifted with Valkyrie-inspired wheels and Pirelli P Zero performance rubber, the DBS 770 Ultimate is called as such because it's the last of its kind. If conditions allow for it, Aston Martin is committed to producing V12s through 2026 or 2027.

The forthcoming Valhalla is getting a hybridized V8, whereas the mid-engine Vanquish was canceled in late 2023. This, in turn, means that the AE31 will be restricted to limited editions such as the DBS 770 Ultimate and V12 Vantage.

Aston Martin Valour

A 110th birthday present for Aston Martin, the retro-styled Valour sold out before it was revealed. Considering how the special-edition market works, it goes without saying that a certain type of individual will be much obliged to sell their build slot for a considerable amount of money.

A meager 110 units will be produced for customers worldwide, including the US market. Aston Martin didn't say how much the Valour actually costs. Hearsay suggests 1.5 to 2.0 million freedom eagles, which shouldn't really come as a surprise.

This could be Aston Martin's final V12 production vehicle with a manual transmission, a last hurrah of what used to be normal in the good ol' days. In the Valour, the soon-to-be-retired AE31 is tuned to belt out 715 ps (705 hp) and 753 Nm (555 lb-ft).

Aston Martin Valkyrie

As opposed to the Ford-era AML V12 and the current AE31, the V12 in the Valkyrie is a Cosworth-developed engine. Cosworth famously developed a three-cylinder prototype with one-fourth of the actual engine, a prototype that develops a rather impressive 253 ps (250 hp).

Initially codenamed Nebula, then referred to as AM-RB 001, the Valkyrie boasts aerodynamic trickery from the one and only Adrian Newey. Ever the perfectionist, the Formula 1 engineer couldn't reach his initial downforce target of 1,800 kilograms (3,968 pounds) due to suspension-related concerns. The Valkyrie also turned out heavier than anticipated, yet 1,270 kilograms (2,800 pounds) of dry weight makes the Valkyrie a light vehicle.

That's roughly the same as the Volkswagen Golf with the 1.0 TSI engine. Infinitely more exciting than a compact hatchback, the Valkyrie develops 3.6 times more power than the Golf R. As opposed to 315 horsepower for the Golf R, the 11,100-rpm Valkyrie makes a staggering 1,139 horsepower.

Ferrari 812

Enzo Ferrari's love for the V12 dates back to 1919 when he saw a V12-engined Packard racing at Indianapolis. Named after Italian engineer Gioacchino Colombo, who cut his teeth as an apprentice for Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo, the Ferrari Colombo V12 was introduced in 1947.

It's hard to believe that Ferrari kept making said engine until 1988. Succeeded by the F116 of the 456 and the F116-based F133, the Colombo's modern-day successor is dubbed F140. Said engine premiered in the Ferrari Enzo with a displacement of 6.0 liters. The 812 series, which premiered in 2017, saw the introduction of a 6.5-liter version.

Shared with the 812-based Monza SP1 and Monza SP1, the F140 is a bonafide screamer that can be taken to an ear-splitting 9,500 revolutions per minute. Ferrari has been spotted testing a new version of the F140 in prototypes of the 812-replacing model. The rumor mill suggests 850 ps (838 hp) from said engine. As for the succeeding model's debut, Ferrari expert Marcel Massini says that the F167 will be presented in May 2024.

Ferrari Purosangue

The first of merely two sport utility vehicles to make our list, Ferrari's most polarizing model to date produces maximum power and torque sooner than other 6.5-liter models from the Prancing Horse of Maranello. After all, it's a sport utility vehicle rather than a super grand tourer or a supercar.

When asked about the idea of a sport utility vehicle wearing the Ferrari badge, Sergio Marchionne famously said that we'd have to shoot him first. That was February 2016. A year later, the board of directors green-lit the project under codename F175. Ferrari confirmed the brand's first-ever SUV at the Capital Markets Day in September 2018, two months after Sergio Marchionne passed away.

A striking design that stands out way more than the V8-powered Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX do, the Purosangue borrows a trick from the Rolls-Royce school of automotive design. Of course, said trick is coach-style rear doors. Ferrari limits production to 20 percent of the automaker's yearly output, meaning that Purosangue production is capped at 2,600 to 2,700 vehicles per year.

Ferrari Daytona SP3

Daytona SP3 is Ferrari's latest Icona model, with Icona standing for high-performance special edition in the Italian marque's vernacular. A mid-engine affair as opposed to the front-engined Monza SP1 and Monza SP2, the limited-run Daytona SP3 is based on the LaFerrari's platform. But in stark contrast to the LaFerrari, the Daytona SP3 makes do without a kinetic energy recovery system.

An ode to 1960s and 1970s sports prototypes, the V12-engined thriller is more than meets the eye. For example, the seats are integrated into the chassis to reduce weight and to reduce drag by keeping the vehicle's height to 1,142 millimeters (45 inches). By comparison, the stylistically similar 330 P4 sports prototype race car measures 1,000 millimeters (39.4 inches). Hardly a coincidence, the 330 P4 won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967.

Ferrari left sports car racing after the 1973 season for many a reasons, including Porsche's dominance and the ailing Formula 1 team. The Italian automaker wouldn't return to the top of sports car racing until 2023 when the V6-powered 499P bettered the Toyota GR010 Hybrid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by a single minute and 21 seconds.

Gordon Murray Automotive T.33

Gordon Murray started his foray into all things Formula 1 with Brabham. You know, the guys with the fan car (the BT46B of 1978) and the first team to run carbon brakes in Formula 1 (the BT45 of 1976). Murray was also instrumental in the development of the McLaren MP4/4, which gave Ayrton Senna his first drivers' championship title.

The South African-British mechanical engineer headed McLaren's road car division until 2004. Building on the awe-inspiring F1 of the 1990s, the fabulous T.50 made Gordon Murray Automotive a household name. The T.33 loses the three-seat layout of the T.50 for a more conventional two, yet retains the more expensive model's V12 engine.

Revealed in January 2022 with either a six-speed manual or a sequential transmission, the T.33 dropped the sequential due to insufficient demand. Only four customers wanted the quicker tranny, which clearly defeats the purpose of enjoying a driver's car on a winding road in the mountains.

Gordon Murray Automotive T.50

More powerful than the T.33, the T.50 is the spiritual heir of the McLaren F1. If you ask McLaren, the Speedtail serves as the indirect successor to the three-seater icon from the 1990s.

Rather than BMW's M division, the 3,994-cc V12 used by Gordon Murray Automotive is a Cosworth design. More powerful than the BMW S70/2 of the McLaren F1, the Cosworth GMA is joined by a 48-volt electric motor. Don't think for a single moment that the T.50 is a hybrid because said motor is connected to a 7,000-rpm fan. BT46B, anyone?

Mounted at the rear of the car, the 15.7-inch (make that 40-centimeter) fan increases downforce by up to 50 percent. A high-speed mode is also featured, in which drag is reduced by a claimed 12.5 percent while also increasing lift. A gimmick to some, this fan gives the T.50 a unique look among supercars. Only 100 customer vehicles will be produced.

Lamborghini Revuelto

We all know that Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Lamborghini in 1963 because Enzo Ferrari was a bit rude to his peer. But did you know that Ferruccio Lamborghini convinced Giotto Bizzarrini, who previously worked on the Ferrari 250 GTO race car, to develop him a V12 for Lamborghini's first production car? That V12 wouldn't be replaced until 2010, the year the Murcielago was discontinued for the Aventador.

The Aventador's V12 was discontinued for a clean-sheet design with a similar displacement, a 6.5-liter engine not shared with any other Volkswagen Group brand. Exclusive to the Revuelto, the third Lamborghini V12 since 1963 is joined by three electric motors. One of them sits on the dual-clutch transmission, which is mounted transversally rather than longitudinally in front of the all-new lump.

Good for a Bugatti Veyron-shaming 1,001 horsepower and 783 pound-feet (1,062 Nm) at full chatter, the Revuelto is both stupendous and bittersweet. Why bittersweet? With the Volkswagen Group going all-in on electric vehicles after the Dieselgate scandal, it's unlikely that Lamborghini will be granted permission to develop another V12 flagship to replace the Revuelto.

Mercedes-Maybach S 680 and Mercedes-Benz S 680 Guard

The beating heart of the Mercedes-Maybach S 680 is a dinosaur of a twin-turbo V12. A development of the M275 from 2002, the M279 was introduced ten years later in the R231-generation SL 65. To this day, it's a single-overhead-camshaft design with three valves per cylinder instead of four.

Do these details even matter, though? Lest we forget, the Mercedes-Maybach S 680 is one of two V12-powered Mercs in production as of January 2024. The other is the Mercedes-Benz S 680 Guard, which trades the luxuries of the Maybach-branded model for ballistic and explosive protection.

621 horsepower and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) are mighty impressive numbers, yet Mercedes offers an even punchier version of the W223. A plug-in hybrid by default, the S 63 E Performance is an AMG-engineered bully that develops 791 horsepower and 1,055 pound-feet (1,430 Nm).

Pagani Imola Roadster

Pagani Automobili and the AMG division have collaborated since the first iteration of the Zonda, of which five units were produced. Pagani's current lineup uses the AMG-developed M158 engine, a twin-turbo V12 that pumps out 816 horsepower and 811 pound-feet (1,100 Nm) in the Imola.

You can think of the Imola as the swansong of the Huayra. Revealed in February 2020, the Imola takes its name from the circuit where Pagani tested the most powerful road-going Huayra over the course of 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles). The coupe was superseded by the roadster in November 2023, of which eight units will be produced.

The roadster is that little bit spicier, with Pagani advertising 850 metric ponies or 838 mechanical horsepower. That's enough for a 350 kilometers per hour (217 miles per hour) at full chatter. As for that massive aerodynamic diffuser and wing, Pagani claims 600 kilograms (1,323 pounds) of downforce at 280 kilometers per hour (174 miles per hour).

Pagani Utopia

After eight complete prototypes and more than six years of work, Pagani launched the Utopia in 2022 as the Huayra's replacement. It's even more powerful than the Imola Roadster, and more fun as well due to its Xtrac-supplied manual gearbox.

Said transmission is mounted transversally. A two-pedal version is available, but looking at the bigger picture, a single-clutch automated manual isn't as smooth as a dual-clutch unit or a torque-converter automatic. Be that as it may, you have to hand it to Pagani for offering a choice in a model that's limited to 99 units worldwide. Ferrari and Lamborghini dropped the manual tranny a long time ago, all in the name of better acceleration and lap times.

The Utopia is believed to receive a roadster-bodied brother in 2025 at the latest. Horacio Pagani also let it slip that a track-focused specification is considered for production, and only time will tell whether the Utopia's replacement will keep the V12 or switch to a hybridized V8. Or – heaven forbid – an electric powertrain. Pagani started exploring the zero-emission alternative in 2018, but in May 2023, the Italian automaker's big kahuna made it clear that current battery tech leaves much to be desired.

Rolls-Royce Ghost

Unlike the first generation, the current model doesn't share a platform with the BMW 7 Series. The most affordable Roller available in 2024 further stands out from the 7er with its BMW-developed N74 engine, a twin-turbo V12 that was previously used by the G12-generation M760Li.

The V12 holds a special place in Rolls-Royce's history. For starters, the Merlin of the Supermarine Spitfire features 12 cylinders arranged in a V. On a close second, let's not forget that R-R's final pre-war production car was the V12-powered Phantom III. The last one was finished in 1939. Rolls-Royce reintroduced the V12 in 1998 with the Silver Seraph, which totaled 1,570 units through 2002.

Chief executive officer Torsten Muller-Otvos stated that Rolls-Royce will phase out its BMW-supplied V12 by the end of the decade. As opposed to Ferrari, Lamborghini, and other high-end automakers, Rolls-Royce doesn't intend to electrify its 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 in preparation for the zero-emission onslaught of the 2030s.

Rolls-Royce Phantom

There are ultra-luxury sedans such as the Maybach S-Class and Bentley Flying Spur, and then there's the Phantom. What's more, Phantom is the second longest-used automobile nameplate after the Chevrolet Suburban. The first generation came out in 1925 with a free-breathing sixer instead of a twin-turbocharged V12. Believe it or not, 1,240 units of the Phantom I were assembled in the United States. Operated by Rolls-Royce of America, the Springfield-based factory was closed in 1931.

The latest and most luxurious Phantom thus far draws inspiration from the seventh generation, a.k.a. the first one developed with BMW's money and know-how. Sharing the Architecture of Luxury with the Ghost and Cullinan, the Phantom starts at close to half a million dollars in the US of A.

Virtually infinite customization options also make the Phantom superior to its direct rivals, although Mulliner isn't exactly a second-rate personal commissioning department. But as opposed to the Bentley Flying Spur, the folks at Rolls-Royce will never dilute the Phantom's spirit with a twin-turbocharged V8 or a hybridized twin-turbo V6.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Although it's hard to tell from pictures alone, the Cullinan has the very same wheelbase (3,295 millimeters or 129.7 inches) as the Ghost. Slotted just above the Ghost, yet shorter in overall length, the Cullinan weighs 2,660 kilograms (5,864 pounds). To put that curb weight into perspective, the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor off-road pickup truck kicks off at 5,757 pounds or 2,611 kilograms.

More than just a sport utility vehicle, the Cullinan is a statement on wheels. The Rolls-Royce of sport utility vehicles, that is, and everyone knows that Rolls-Royce does luxury better than anyone else. Accordingly, it's no wonder that R-R wants $374,000 for the base specification or $432,000 for the sportier and more powerful Black Badge.

Although it's not as dynamically engaging as the Bentley Bentayga, the Cullinan features high-definition cameras that scan the road ahead to adjust the proactive suspension for any imperfections in the road surface. Adept in off-road situations, the Cullinan helped Rolls-Royce break 6,000 deliveries worldwide (6,032 in 2023 and 6,021 in 2022).