6.0 WR12 48v

Bentley Continental GT W12 engine

This W12 badged W12 engine is twelve cylinder W engine of two rows of (staggered) 6 cylinders, formed by joining two imaginary 15° VR6 engine cylinder blocks, placed on a single crankshaft, with each cylinder 'double-bank' now at a 72° angle. This specific configuration is more appropriately described as a WR12 engine.

This Volkswagen Group engine is also used with slight modification, and with the addition of two turbochargers in the Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Continental Flying Spur and Bentley Bentayga. It has also been used in a 600 hp (450 kW; 610 PS) form aboard the Volkswagen W12 prototype sports car to establish a 24-hour record of 323 km/h (200.7 mph) in 2002 at the Nardò Ring in Italy.

identification

parts code prefix: 07C

engine displacement & engine configuration

5,998 cc (366.0 cu in) 72° W12 engine; bore x stroke: 84.0 mm × 90.2 mm (3.31 in × 3.55 in), stroke ratio: 0.93:1 – undersquare/long-stroke, 499.9 cc per cylinder, compression ratio: 10.7:1

cylinder block & crankcase

homogeneous monoblock low-pressure chill die cast hypereutectic 'Alusil' aluminium-silicon alloy (AlSi17Cu4Mg); torsionally stiff aluminium alloy crankcase with high-resistance cylinder liners, simplex roller chain driven oil pump; die-forged steel 21.2 kg crankshaft, seven main bearings, crankpins offset to achieve a constant firing order as on a V6 engine

cylinder heads & valvetrain

cast aluminium alloy; four valves per cylinder, 48 valves total, low-friction roller finger cam followers with automatic hydraulic valve clearance compensation, double overhead camshaft driven from the flywheel side via a two-stage chain drive utilising three 3/8" simplex roller chains, continuous vane-adjustable variable valve timing for intake and exhaust camshafts with up to 52 degrees timing range for the flow-optimised inlet ports, 22 degrees on the exhaust camshafts

aspiration

two air filters, two hot-film air mass meters, two throttle bodies each with electronically controlled Bosch 'E-Gas' throttle valves, four-part two-channel cast magnesium alloy intake manifold; Bentley versions also use twin-turbos – one turbocharger per VR cylinder bank

fuel system, ignition system, engine management

two linked common rail fuel distributor rails, multi-point electronic sequential indirect fuel injection with twelve intake manifold-sited fuel injectors; centrally positioned NGK longlife spark plugs, mapped direct ignition with 12 individual direct-acting single spark coils; Bosch Motronic ME 7.1.1 electronic engine control unit (ECU), cylinder-selective knock control via four knock sensors, permanent lambda control, water-cooled alternator

exhaust system

two vacuum-controlled secondary air injection pumps for direct injection into exhaust ports to assist cold start operation, four exhaust manifolds with four integrated ceramic catalytic converters, eight heated oxygen sensors monitoring pre- and post catalyst exhaust gases

dimensions

length: 513 mm (20.2 in), height: 715 mm (28.1 in), width: 710 mm (28.0 in) then 690 mm (27.2 in)

DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs – Audi / Volkswagen, ID codes

309 kW (420 PS; 414 bhp); 550 N⋅m (406 lbf⋅ft) — Audi A8: AZC (01/01-09/02), VW Phaeton: BAN (04/02-05/05)

331 kW (450 PS; 444 bhp) at 6,200 rpm, 580 N⋅m (430 lbf⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm, 560 N⋅m (413 lbf⋅ft) at 2,300–5,300 rpm — Audi A8: BHT, BSB, BTE (12/03-07/10)

331 kW (450 PS; 444 bhp) at 6,000 rpm; 560 N⋅m (413 lbf⋅ft) at 2,750–5,000 rpm — Phaeton: BRN, BTT (05/05-03/16)

331 kW (450 PS; 444 bhp) at 6,000 rpm; 600 N⋅m (443 lbf⋅ft) at 3,300 rpm — Touareg: BJN, CFRA (08/04-05/10)

DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs – Bentley twin turbo

412 kW (560 PS; 553 bhp) at 6,100 rpm; 650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) at 1,600–6,100 rpm — standard models: BWR, BEB, MTBHT

449 kW (610 PS; 602 bhp) at 6,000 rpm; 750 N⋅m (553 lbf⋅ft) at 1,700–5,600 rpm — "Speed" models: CKHC, BWRA

522 kW (710 PS; 700 bhp) at 5,900 rpm; 1,017 N⋅m (750 lbf⋅ft) at 2,050–4,500 rpm — "Supersports" model

applications

Audi A8 (AZC: 03/01-09/02, BHT: 02/04-, BSB: 10/04-, BTE: 02/05-), Volkswagen Phaeton (BAN: 05/02-05/05, BRN: 05/05-10/08, BTT: 05/05-10/08), Volkswagen Touareg sport (BJN: 08/04-, CFRA: 02/08-), Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Continental Flying Spur

6.0 WR12 48v TFSI

This engine produces 430 kW (585 PS; 577 bhp) of power and 800 N⋅m (590 lbf⋅ft) of torque. It would mostly share the same technical specifications with its turbocharged 6.0-liter predecessor, other than the fact that it was modified to meet new WLTP emission standards. This new engine was promised to be made available on the fourth generation A8, following S8 and 60 TFSI/TDI models. However, as of August 2020, only examples of the W12 variant were press cars. It is rumoured that the W12 variant is only available as special orders in selected European dealerships.

6.3 WR12 48v FSI (CEJA)

This engine produces 500 PS (368 kW; 493 bhp) of power and 625 N⋅m (461 lbf⋅ft) of torque. This new engine was promised to be made available on the 3rd generation A8 More compact dimensions than a comparable V8 engine FSI direct injection with twin high-pressure fuel pumps, twin fuel rails, and six-port high-pressure injectors.

applications

A8 L W12 6.3 FSI quattro (CEJA)