The V12 engine is having a good week. Ferrari has launched its new flagship GT, the 12Cilindri; Aston Martin has announced a new twelve-cylinder engine of its own; and now there’s this, the Engler V12. It is – we kid you not – a V12-powered quad bike.
Clearly, it’s not the sort of quad you see rumbling around the countryside with a border collie perched on the back living its best life. Rather, it’s the work of Engler Automotive, a company that builds what it calls ‘superquads’, which are exactly what they sound like: bizarre mishmashes of quad bikes and supercars.
The initial version used the 5.2-litre V10 from an Audi R8, as well as pilfering its headlights. It popped up at a few shows, but it’s not clear if any were actually sold. Nevertheless, Engler has now taken the next logical step and made a V12 version.
It hasn’t yet announced where the V12 comes from – it says its identity will be revealed within the next year – but apparently, it can be specced with anything from 690 to 1184bhp. Let that sink in for a second: something with power that matches a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, that’s controlled with handlebars by a rider perched right on top. Taken your brave pills?
It’s all based around a carbon monocoque chassis with tubular subframes, and Engler says that free of fluids, it weighs 1200kg. That’s nearly 1bhp per kg, if you weren’t keeping track. Mercifully, you get enormous Brembo brakes all round as well as independent double wishbone suspension made from forged aluminium alloy and titanium.
There’s no word on how much the Engler V12 will cost, or how many will be made – presumably, that hinges on how many people are willing to stump up a not-insignificant sum for the chance to experience sheer, unbridled terror.
