The W engine looks to have well and truly bitten the dust. Bugatti’s Chiron successor, the Tourbillon, has ditched the quad-turbocharged, double-vee format for a (perhaps even loopier) naturally aspirated V16 with a hybrid bolted to it. Meanwhile, Bentley, where the W12 has been a staple of its flagships for over two decades, has now decided that a more conventional twin-turbo V8 hybrid is a suitable substitute (read Nic C’s review of the new Continental GT Speed to see if that’s really the case). Even Volkswagen got in on the W action, with an eight-cylinder Passat and 12-cylinder versions the Phaeton and Touareg.
Now, you don’t need to know the ins and outs of the motor trade to figure out why the W engine’s been shelved. We live in a time where big, thirsty engines make very little sense to a Goliath like the VW Group, especially when serial W12 user Bentley has its long-term sights on a lineup that doesn’t emit any carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, the W engine, especially in 12-cylinder form, will be sorely missed. Few engines could match its versatility, mixing supreme levels of refinement with immense, effortless pace.
Fortunately, membership to the W12 doesn’t cost a fortune these days. Well, not initially anyway. Early Continental GTs can be had for absolute peanuts, of course, though this Mulliner-spec example for £21,995 looks to be a good place to start, while upping the budget gets you this Continental Super Sport and a nice, round 700hp of grunt at your disposal. A Flying Spur such as this one at £50k brings a bit more practicality, but if you prefer your W12 wrapped in something a little less regal, then you may want to consider the Audi A8 L you see here.
That’s right, even Audi dabbled with the W engine. In fact, it was the first company under the VW Group umbrella to offer a W12 in a production car, which allowed the flagship D2 A8 to go toe-to-toe with V12 versions of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class. The initial version was naturally aspirated, but its turbocharged successors brought considerable hikes in power, torque and waftiness, with the last revision arriving for the 2010 model year. For its final outing, Audi bored the motor out to 6.3-litres, giving chauffeurs 500hp and 461lb-ft of torque to play with on runs to the airport.
A Swiss watch-like engine paired with the D4 A8’s uber premiumness seemed like a match made in heaven, and reviewers were quick to praise the A8 L's huge pace and cosseting ride quality. But buyers weren’t convinced, with HowManyLeft putting peak registrations at around 42 here in the UK. It didn’t do much better abroad, either, though Audi allegedly claimed at the time that it never expected the W12 A8 to fare well in Europe, instead pinning its hopes on the long-wheelbase hungry markets in Asia. In that regard, it’s a good thing Audi bothered offering it here in the first place, and it’s fair to say they’re a heck of a lot cheaper now than they were a decade ago.
Which brings us back to the car we have here: a 2013 example with 19,000 miles on the clock, a full Audi main dealer service history and just one previous owner from new. The price being asked is £26,985 - a good £68k cheaper than it would have been ten years ago (and that’s before you take into account the many options that were likely ticked). Alternatively, there’s this D3 with identical miles available at a £10k discount. Yes, early Flying Spurs are cheaper still, but going for the lowest of the low can be a dangerous game to play on any used car, let alone a W12-engined luxury limo. This one ticks the servicing boxes and looks to be in good nick, but it wouldn’t hurt putting a chunk aside for the full £735 VED and some (probably quite substantial) fuel bills.
SPECIFICATION | AUDI A8 L W12 QUATTRO
Engine: 6,299cc W12, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 500@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 461@4,750rpm
MPG: 24
CO2: 277
Year registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 19,000
Price new: £95,140
Yours for: £26,985
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