V12 engines are known for being big, powerful, and expensive, but all those cylinders don’t have to to come in a large package — sometimes it’s quite small.
There is a range of common adjectives that come to mind when we think of V12 engines. «Smooth» is one, evidenced by engines like the V12 that powers the ultra-luxe Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II. «Expensive» is probably another common adjective, since most modern V12-powered vehicles have eye-watering price tags. «Powerful» is also a given, what with cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie and its headline-grabbing 1,000-hp V12. There are doubtless many more that have popped into mind as you read this, but one that likely hasn’t is «small.»
Most V12s are quite large engines, at least compared to the more mundane options we encounter daily. However, despite that, there have been a handful of V12 engines over the years that are genuinely quite compact. Some of these, like the Cosworth GMA engine, are only small by the standards of V12s, while others, such as Ferrari’s immortal Colombo V12, are small no matter the cylinder count. And it’s these engines we want to celebrate by journeying through the history of small V12 engines.
A quick note before we start, though: We’re limiting this list to V12 engines that have powered road- or track-going cars, so we won’t be discussing any mini V12 engine kits here. While they’re fascinating products, we decided it would be unfair to pit vehicle engines up against these tiny marvels. But with that out of the way, let’s get started.3.9-liter Cosworth GMA
British automotive engineering company Cosworth has built many amazing engines since its founding in 1958, including classics like the Mercedes-Benz 190E’s 2.3-16 engine and the race-proven DFV V8. But while those are all impressive powerplants, we’d venture that few are as special as the Cosworth GMA engine that it designed and built for Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) and its vehicles, the T.33 and T.50.
GMA unveiled its first car, the T.50, in 2020, with press hailing it as the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1, which Murray also designed. The T.50’s headline feature, beyond the fan-powered active aero, was — and continues to be — undoubtedly the engine, a naturally-aspirated 3.9-liter V12 that revs to an unprecedented 12,100 rpm and makes 660 hp. The T.50 was soon joined by the T.33 in 2022, which debuted with the same 3.9-liter Cosworth V12, albeit in retuned form. The T.33’s GMA V12 had more low-rpm torque, with a lower redline — it maxes out at 11,100 rpm — and a slightly more daily-drivable 608 hp.
Cosworth and GMA also went another way with the V12, though, with an even more-powerful version featuring in the GMA T.50s. The T.50s is a special version of the T.50 that GMA first showcased in 2021 as a tribute to celebrate legendary F1 driver Niki Lauda, who passed away in 2019. Befitting Lauda’s high-speed legacy, GMA equipped the T.50s with a redesigned version of the T.50’s GMA V12 that made a staggering 761 hp.
