Call me uninformed, if you will, but I never knew Honda ever made a V12 engine. I am not a race car fanatic so I am not familiar with the non-production engine layouts used for F1 racing, etc. But this one made me very curious. The 1.5L (92 cu in) Honda V12 engine had 48 valves and produced about 230 hp in racing trim. Very interesting.
Here is what I discovered about the engine:
“The engine dimensions of the 1965 48-valve V12 were 58.1 x 47.0 mm, 1,495.28 cc. Power output of 230 bhp (170 kW) @ 13,000 rpm was quoted — this was the most powerful F1 engine of 1965. The engine was safe to 14,000 rpm. … It used 12 Keihin carburetors, one for each cylinder, later to be replaced by low pressure fuel injection before entry into the Italian GP.” (Wikipedia)
“Power takeoff was by spur gears from the centre of the crankshaft driving directly into a transverse shaft 6 speed transaxle.” (primotipo)
Personally, I would rather hear the growl of the big Jaguar V12 and I’m not sure I would like to tackle syncing 12 carburetors. BUT… I have to admit that this is an intriguing engine in such a little car. Just how fast could it make this little car go?
H/T Hemmings
