Volkswagen Nardo
Encyclopedia
The Volkswagen W12 Coupe (also known as the Volkswagen Nardò, with reference to the Nardò Ring
vehicle test track, near to the Italian city of Nardò
) was a concept car created by Volkswagen Passenger Cars
in 1997. The car is portrayed in Gran Turismo
and Test Drive series.
At the request of then Volkswagen Group
CEO Ferdinand Piech
, Giorgetto Giugiaro
and his Italdesign team was tasked to design a Volkswagen sports car, with instructions that it had to accommodate a 12 cylinder engine in a W configuration, be mid-engined, and also be able to be configured with Volkwagen's Syncro
four-wheel drive
system.
Another reason for its conception was to prove to the world that Volkswagen Group can build a supercar
and can build a large and reliable engine for its luxury cars and sports cars, including their popular lineup of their cars, Volkswagen Phaeton
, and its sport utility vehicle
, the Volkswagen Touareg
.
Volkswagen debuted their first sports car concept, a bright yellow W12 Syncro (also known as the W12 Syncro Coupé) with a 5.6 litre W12 engine
producing 309 kW with Syncro
four-wheel drive
. It, and the W12 concepts after it, were all designed by the Italdesign firm in Italy.
and rear-wheel drive configuration was shown, and its smaller amount of power than the coupe.
; it could accelerate from standstill to 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) in about 3.5 seconds, and had a top speed of 357 kilometres per hour (221.8 mph), weighing just 1200 kilograms (2,646 lb). It was one of the fastest sports car concepts in the world. It was created by Charlie Adair.
version of the W12 Coupe set seven 24-hour world speed records at the Nardò Ring
near Lecce
, Italy
. The car's nickname was derived from the circuit.
, and in Gran turismo 5
it is a very hard car to acquire. In the game it has a top speed of 230 mph (370 km/h).
Nardò Ring
The Nardò Ring, is a high speed test track located near the town of Nardò, Italy, in the southern region of Apulia, in the province of Lecce....
vehicle test track, near to the Italian city of Nardò
Nardò
Nardò is a town and comune of 31,185 inhabitants and comune in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the province of Lecce.-History:...
) was a concept car created by Volkswagen Passenger Cars
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
in 1997. The car is portrayed in Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo (series)
is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital.Developed exclusively for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to simulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, nearly all of which are licensed...
and Test Drive series.
Initial conception
Picture.
At the request of then Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
CEO Ferdinand Piech
Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Karl Piëch is an Austrian business magnate, engineer and executive who is currently the chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group....
, Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
and his Italdesign team was tasked to design a Volkswagen sports car, with instructions that it had to accommodate a 12 cylinder engine in a W configuration, be mid-engined, and also be able to be configured with Volkwagen's Syncro
4motion
4motion is a registered trademark of Volkswagen AG, used exclusively on Volkswagen-branded automobiles which utilise four-wheel drive systems. Volkswagen has previously used the term "Syncro" for its 4WD models....
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
system.
Another reason for its conception was to prove to the world that Volkswagen Group can build a supercar
Supercar
Supercar is a term used most often to describe an expensive high end car. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car"...
and can build a large and reliable engine for its luxury cars and sports cars, including their popular lineup of their cars, Volkswagen Phaeton
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Volkswagen Phaeton is a full-size luxury sedan/saloon manufactured by German automaker Volkswagen, and is described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle...
, and its sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
, the Volkswagen Touareg
Volkswagen Touareg
The Volkswagen Touareg is a mid-size crossover SUV produced by German automaker Volkswagen since 2002. The vehicle was named after the Tuareg people, a Berber-speaking group in North Africa...
.
1997 W12 Syncro
In 1997, at the Tokyo Motor ShowTokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...
Volkswagen debuted their first sports car concept, a bright yellow W12 Syncro (also known as the W12 Syncro Coupé) with a 5.6 litre W12 engine
W12 engine
A W12 engine is a twelve cylinder piston internal combustion engine in a W configuration. W12 engines are manufactured in two distinct configurations. One configuration uses four rows of three cylinders merged into two 'cylinder banks' , coupled to a common crankshaft - as in Volkswagen Group W12...
producing 309 kW with Syncro
4motion
4motion is a registered trademark of Volkswagen AG, used exclusively on Volkswagen-branded automobiles which utilise four-wheel drive systems. Volkswagen has previously used the term "Syncro" for its 4WD models....
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
. It, and the W12 concepts after it, were all designed by the Italdesign firm in Italy.
- length: 4400 mm
- width: 1920 mm
- height: 1100 mm
- wheelbase: 2530 mm
- front track: 1620 mm
- rear track: 1600 mm
- front overhang: 1000 mm
- rear overhang: 870 mm
- engine position: mid longitudinal
- drive: four-wheel drive
- engine: 5600 cc W12
- rated power: 309 kW
1998 W12 Roadster
A year later at the Geneva Auto Salon, a red W12 Roadster with the same 5.6 litre W12 engineW12 engine
A W12 engine is a twelve cylinder piston internal combustion engine in a W configuration. W12 engines are manufactured in two distinct configurations. One configuration uses four rows of three cylinders merged into two 'cylinder banks' , coupled to a common crankshaft - as in Volkswagen Group W12...
and rear-wheel drive configuration was shown, and its smaller amount of power than the coupe.
- length: 4400 mm
- width: 1920 mm
- height: 1100 mm
- wheelbase: 2530 mm
- front track: 1634 mm
- rear track: 1652 mm
- front overhang: 990 mm
- rear overhang: 880 mm
- engine position: mid longitudinal
- drive: rear-wheel drive
- engine: 5600 cc W12
- rated power: 309 kW
2001 W12 Nardò
In 2001, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Volkswagen Group released their most powerful W12 sports car concept yet, in bright orange (then also known as the W12 Nardò). The engine was rated at producing 441 kW and 621 newton metres (458 ft·lbf) of torqueTorque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
; it could accelerate from standstill to 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) in about 3.5 seconds, and had a top speed of 357 kilometres per hour (221.8 mph), weighing just 1200 kilograms (2,646 lb). It was one of the fastest sports car concepts in the world. It was created by Charlie Adair.
24 Hour World Record Holder
A special unpainted carbon fiberCarbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
version of the W12 Coupe set seven 24-hour world speed records at the Nardò Ring
Nardò Ring
The Nardò Ring, is a high speed test track located near the town of Nardò, Italy, in the southern region of Apulia, in the province of Lecce....
near Lecce
Lecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The car's nickname was derived from the circuit.
Gran Turismo
The W12's first appearance was in Gran turismo 4Gran Turismo 4
is a racing simulator for the Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong , February 22, 2005 in North America , and March 9, 2005 in Europe , and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line...
, and in Gran turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5
is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010...
it is a very hard car to acquire. In the game it has a top speed of 230 mph (370 km/h).