RE: RIP V12 SL?
Monday 1st August 2011
Mercedes has quietly dropped its V12-engined SL-class cars, well before the current 'R230' SL bows out next year, to be replaced by an all-new SL.
RIP V12 SL?
Mercedes winds up V12 SL production, and might not bring it back for the next-generation car
Both the SL600, with its 503bhp 5.5-litre biturbo V12, and the 604bhp 6.0-litre SL65 AMG are no more, as Mercedes winds down its SL offerings in readiness for the arrival of a new model.
What's not clear, however, is whether the 12-cylinder SL will come back even with the next-generation car. Not only is there increasing pressure on car makers to downsize their engines, but the top-end Mercedes SLs have seen their limelight and sales pretty much stolen by the SLS AMG coupe and roadster.
So is this the end for the V12 SL? Could be...
Discussion
They did the exact same thing during the last year of production of the R129 SL: about early-2000, they quietly dropped the SL600 with the m120 V12. I can't recall whether they had the new 3-valve V12 up and running in the W220 S-Class and W215 CL-Class by then. If there is a market for a V12, I am sure they will make one. Anyway, the m120 remained available in the Pagani Zonda until about last year.
I thought the V12 was the perfect balance from an engineering perspective or something? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine - indeed it is.
Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
joebongo said:
I thought the V12 was the perfect balance from an engineering perspective or something? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine - indeed it is.
Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
Yes, a V12 has perfect primary and secondary balance, but that doesn't mean its the perfect engine configuration. GENERALLY SPEAKING (before the pistonheads masses come up with numerous examples to the contrary) for any given displacement, you have higher reciprocating mass. This makes the engine lathargic, so you have to reduce the stroke to reduce the accelerations on the internal components, which all but kills off torque output. So then you have to rev the nuts off it to make power and so on so on.Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
There is an ideal balance between displacement (including bore/stroke ratio) and cylinder based on what you want the engine to achieve and how you want it to drive, and I sincerely doubt primary and secondary balance are particularly high on the design criteria since there are plenty of V8s and V10s that don't fall to piece because they aren't perfectly balanced.
Np reason the cylinder count can't still be large... you just need to want to still have a V12, rather than wimp out on a cost basis. And it's not like the V12 SL buyers are exactly short on cash. They already buy/depreciate the worst cars on earth just to have the one with the biggest/different engine, so losing that halo of exclusivity won't be ideal.
Which SL do you have... the V8, or the, err, higher boost V8? Doesn't quite have the same aura of exclusivity
Dave
Which SL do you have... the V8, or the, err, higher boost V8? Doesn't quite have the same aura of exclusivity
Dave
Nick3point2 said:
joebongo said:
I thought the V12 was the perfect balance from an engineering perspective or something? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine - indeed it is.
Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
Yes, a V12 has perfect primary and secondary balance, Perhaps smaller V12's are the way forward?
Caractacus said:
Noise/sound, like styling, is purely subjective.
I prefer V8 music, as long as there's not a flat plane crank involved.
No you don't I prefer V8 music, as long as there's not a flat plane crank involved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32WfeE-XJxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6kxyKSDZ0
Phil
There is no reason a small V12 isn't viable...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlv7UTq3MI
2.5 litres, and sounds quite nice
Might mean some innovation to make it work how you want it to, but hey ho.
Merc must be developing some new tech for F1 engines, and everyone knows the best SL HAS to have the biggest engine. Unless ALL other models are V6's and the best is a V8, then it's not gonna work.
Dave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlv7UTq3MI
2.5 litres, and sounds quite nice
Might mean some innovation to make it work how you want it to, but hey ho.
Merc must be developing some new tech for F1 engines, and everyone knows the best SL HAS to have the biggest engine. Unless ALL other models are V6's and the best is a V8, then it's not gonna work.
Dave
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