The W12 closes a chapter in Volkswagen Group's book, including one of the most well-engineered failures in automotive history.

Even though the Bentley W12 engine was discontinued in April 2024, it is still loved by many. Here are the key pros and cons ...

Read the VW Phaeton W12 first look review, brought to you exclusively by the experts at European Car Magazine.

Sure, buying any of the other Volkswagen Phaetons out there would be a terrible idea, especially if you got one with the complicated 6.0-liter W12 engine. But this one is so nice.

Introduced more than two decades ago, the VW Group's W12 story is now over, so let's remember the five most impressive cars powered by the iconic engine.

Volkswagen of America, Inc. has announced a base price of $94,600 for its 2004 Phaeton W12 ultra luxury sedan that is now available for individual orders in a variety of luxurious configurations.

Volkswagen offered the 4.0-liter Passat W8 4Motion, and Audi, the 6.0-liter A8 W12, whose engine went on to power the VW Phaeton, Bentley Continental GT and record-setting W12 Nardo.

The W12-Powered GTI lives on as a legendary vehicle that never really saw the streets.

The car supplied for testing by VW had the W12, an unusual configuration. VW takes two VR6 engines and mates them, offsetting each slightly.

More importantly, the flagship variant of the Phaeton would have been fitted with the glorious twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine producing as much as 604 hp (450 kW / 612 PS).

Of course, the W12 is a big honkin’ engine, so there was no fitting that under the hood of the Golf, let alone anything built on a VW chassis designed for front-engine, front-drive applications.