According to recent reports, McLaren's managing director, Antony Sheriff has said that "The V12 engine is a thing of the past. The engine belongs in a museum."
Considering the legacy of the marque's famous -- and some would say best supercar ever -- McLaren F1, which was powered by a BMW V12, that's a pretty bold statement. Question is, how valid is it?
At this stage you have to argue that cars need to be lighter, less complex -- which, in turn, keeps costs down -- and need to be able to be packaged for smaller engine compartments. Remember, after years of growing in all directions, it's time for vehicles to take a step in the other direction and shrink. In addition, with the advancement of forced induction technology, turbochargers lack lag and superchargers have become more reliable.
On the other hand, it's hard for me to believe that the V12 powerplant, which has no TRUE competitor, is dead as a door nail.
There's just nothing that compares to a naturally aspirated V12, sorry folks.
That said though, what say YOU?
Is the V12 a museum piece OR is it still the go-to motor for high-end performance vehicles?