10 Brands That Still Make Cars With V12 Engines

It's been common knowledge for years now: V12 engines are a dying breed. Tightening emissions regulations have made it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to continue producing the engine, with some choosing to phase them out altogether in favor of more efficient powertrains with fewer cylinders. However, to say the V12 is dead is categorically untrue — in fact, there's evidence that it's having a renaissance among boutique manufacturers looking to take advantage of its increasingly unique and exotic status.

Alongside those new players venturing into the world of making V12 cars, there are the legacy manufacturers for whom the V12 engine is an integral part of their history. Despite the incoming regulations, these brands and their loyal clients are more determined than ever to keep the V12 alive, developing innovative solutions to ensure cars with the revered engine keep rolling off the production line. We've rounded up a selection of automakers that fit into one of the two categories, all of whom have committed to producing cars with V12 engines through 2024 and beyond.

The designer of the McLaren F1, Gordon Murray, unveiled a new hypercar in 2020. Christened the GMA T.50, it was aimed at being the F1's spiritual successor, taking the original car's basic formula and incorporating the latest advancements in design and performance technology. One key element of the '90s design carried over was the naturally-aspirated V12 engine, although, unlike the McLaren, GMA's engine wasn't designed by BMW.

Instead, it was created in collaboration with Cosworth, with 654 horsepower available from its 3.9L of displacement. The engine was the lightest V12 ever fitted to a road car at the time of its unveiling as well as the most power dense. Its redline is also unmatched – at 12,100 rpm, no other road car comes close.

With such an exceptional engine at his disposal, it's no surprise that Murray also opted to use it for his next project, the T.33. Unveiled in 2022, the T.33 is more conventional than the T.50 — it doesn't feature fans or a central driving position — and it's a little less powerful too, although only just. The GMA-Cosworth V12 in the T.33 makes 607 horsepower and redlines at 11,100 rpm, less than the T.50 but still higher than almost any other road car on the market. These exceptional specs have been matched by exceptional customer demand, and all units of both cars are now sold out.

Danish hypercar maker Zenvo has been building cars for over 15 years, with all of its previous cars featuring a mid-mounted V8 engine. However, for its latest Aurora hypercar, the brand took the unusual step of developing its own all-new V12 engine in collaboration with Mahle Powertrain. The 6.6L quad-turbocharged engine produces 1,250 horsepower, making it the most powerful V12 ever fitted to a road car according to Zenvo. It's paired with a trio of electric motors developing 600 horsepower, for a combined output of 1,850 horsepower.

The engine has reportedly been called "Mjølner," being named after Thor's hammer in Norse mythology. It should make a fittingly thunderous soundtrack at full throttle, but the car will also be able to travel nearly silently for up to 21 miles on all-electric power. Zenvo claims the car's top speed sits somewhere in excess of 280 mph, and it can sprint from 0-62 mph in a mere 2.3 seconds. Assuming those figures are accurate, that makes it one of the fastest cars in the world, but it's priced accordingly. In fact, the Aurora is one of the most expensive hypercars ever built, with a $3.9 million price tag.

To say that the development of the Valkyrie hypercar was a huge project would be an understatement. With Adrian Newey at the helm, the development costs of the Valkyrie were so huge that it completely derailed Aston Martin's finances, leaving the company with a loss of over half a billion dollars in 2022. However, the resulting car arguably justifies the financial pain it has caused its maker. It's Aston Martin's most advanced production car to date, and at its heart sits an all-new Cosworth-built 1,000 horsepower 6.5L V12 engine.

An auxiliary electric motor brings the Valkyrie's total output up to a combined 1,140 horsepower, but that's almost beside the point — it's the V12 that steals the show. With a redline of 11,100 rpm, the engine is more akin to that of a Formula 1 car than a run-of-the-mill performance car. Its four-figure horsepower output is even more impressive when you consider that there are no turbochargers here for extra boost. Instead, the engine is naturally aspirated to evoke "the spine-tingling, ultra-high-revving F1 engines of the 1990s," according to Aston Martin.

Despite a multi-million dollar price tag, demand for the Valkyrie has reportedly been high and has helped to turn around Aston Martin's financial situation in recent months. However, the company has yet to make any long-term commitment to V12 development past its current projects, and its next roadgoing hypercar, the upcoming Valhalla, will feature a hybrid V8 powertrain.

While Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousines are no longer available with V12 engines, their pricier Maybach counterparts can still be bought with one for now. The 2024 Mercedes-Maybach S680 4Matic starts at roughly $235,000 and features a 6.0L variant of the German automaker's long-running V12 engine. Much like Rolls-Royce's V12 engine, the Maybach engine is designed to be smooth above all else. Power figures aren't really important, although they're impressive here nonetheless — the Maybach packs 621 horsepower distributed to all four wheels through the 4Matic all-wheel drive system.

Every other element of the Maybach S680 is exactly as buyers will expect: it's ultra-luxurious, assembled with painstaking attention to detail, and highly customizable. The Maybach is roughly double the price of a standard Mercedes-Benz S Class, but for those buyers who simply must have a V12, it's a price they'll have to pay. For how much longer the V12 will remain available, however, is hard to say. There were reports that Mercedes was looking to phase them out as far back as 2008, but for now, they continue to be offered at the very top of its lineup.

One of Italy's most instantly recognizable carmakers, Pagani has always remained committed to its AMG-sourced V12 engine. Its latest product, the Utopia, carries on the tradition, with Pagani stating that its aim was to go "against the main trends of the time." That means there are no hybrid systems or dual-clutch transmissions, with the brand instead offering a 6.0L twin-turbo V12 making 864 horsepower. Buyers get the choice of either a seven-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic transmission. The engine is still built to order by Mercedes-AMG, even though AMG no longer offers such a V12 in its cars. 

The Utopia, developed under the codename "C10," is just as exclusive as previous Pagani cars. In coupe form, it's limited to 99 units, although there has so far been no confirmation of whether a roadster version will be revealed later. If one is indeed launched, expect it to be just as exclusive, and feature the same thundering V12 under its exotic bodywork.