The Biggest BMW Engine Ever – A Inside Take a look at the Legendary McLaren F1 V12

For all of the engines Munich has produced—from the screaming S14 of the E30 M3 to the torquey brute pressure of the S85 V10—none match the mythos, engineering purity, or historic significance of the one developed for a automobile that doesn’t even put on a roundel: the V12 on the coronary heart of the McLaren F1.

Sure, the best BMW engine ever made could very nicely be the one designed not for a 5 Collection or M automobile, however for a low-volume British hypercar that redefined what efficiency might be within the Nineteen Nineties. The F1’s engine wasn’t only a masterpiece—it was the soul of a automobile that many nonetheless contemplate the best street automobile of all time. And that’s not a coincidence.

The Origin Story

The McLaren F1 challenge started with an uncompromising imaginative and prescient from Gordon Murray: a light-weight, central-seat street automobile with Formulation 1 ranges of engineering purity. However when it got here time to decide on an engine, nobody might meet the temporary. Honda stated no. So did each different main participant. It was BMW Motorsport—particularly Paul Rosche, the legendary engineer behind the M88 and numerous different masterpieces—who stepped up and stated, “Sure. However provided that we will do it proper.”

The outcome was engine code S70/2. A naturally aspirated 6.1-liter V12 producing 618 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque—numbers that also increase eyebrows at the moment. But it surely wasn’t nearly peak output. The engine was a technical flex, a examine in stability, response, and sturdiness. It might idle like a luxurious sedan however screamed to a redline simply north of seven,500 rpm with a sound that belongs in a museum. It was over-engineered in one of the best ways potential—a lot in order that it ran dry-sump and had twin ECUs managing twelve particular person throttle our bodies. Murray had wished a light-weight, high-revving motor with instantaneous response and no pressured induction. BMW gave him precisely that.

Constructed Completely different

We throw across the time period “race engine for the street” far too usually. However the S70/2 was precisely that—born from motorsport know-how and tailor-made with the restraint of real-world usability. It was lighter than most V8s of its day, but had extra cylinders and extra sophistication. And its cooling system was so efficient that even when raced at Le Mans, it wanted no mechanical modifications past customary endurance prep.

This wasn’t a growth of the manufacturing S70B56 discovered within the 850CSi. It shared a reputation—and never a lot else. The McLaren’s V12 was a bespoke creation. Cosmetically, it regarded stunning. Functionally, it was overkill in one of the best ways potential. And in contrast to most of BMW’s M engines, the S70/2 was by no means softened, detuned, or massaged to suit a broader product lineup. It existed for one automobile, and one goal.

BMW S70/2 vs. S70B56: A Story of Two V12s

All of it begs the query, what does it share with different BMW V12’s of the time interval. Of all manufacturing V12, it’s the E31 850csi’s S70B56 that comes the closest. However the second you take a look at the information, you actually start to see the variations. From the variety of valves to the 12 particular person throttle our bodies, there’s clearly a special intent and degree of sophistication between the 2.

How Does the S70/2 Examine to the Prototype E31 M8?

Issues get extra attention-grabbing after we take a look at the stillborn E31 M8 prototype and it’s V12 – code-named the S70/1. Apparently the McLaren F1’s engine was derived from the BMW M8 prototype’s engine design – which was on the drafting board earlier than McLaren approached BMW. They’re equivalent by way of general design idea and even dimension. The S70/1 even produced round 550 horsepower, shut the 627 hp from the F1. Nonetheless BMW has at all times been clear to level out that the S70/1 served as the inspiration that the S70/2 was born from.

The Legacy

There’s a purpose the McLaren F1 nonetheless holds the title for the quickest naturally aspirated automobile ever constructed. In 1998, it hit 240.1 mph with the rev limiter eliminated—greater than twenty years earlier than Ferrari, Porsche and even Bugatti caught up. And on the middle of that report? A BMW-built V12.

The engine’s affect didn’t straight echo via BMW’s mainstream lineup—however it didn’t must. Its legacy is in its singularity. It was an uncompromised engine constructed for a automobile with no friends. No different manufacturing BMW motor can declare the identical degree of bespoke craftsmanship, historic affect, and mechanical perfection.

Why It Nonetheless Issues

In a world shifting quickly towards electrification and turbocharged all the things, the McLaren F1’s BMW V12 looks like a postcard from one other period—a reminder of what engineering ardour and company bravery can produce. It’s a monument to BMW’s motorsport division at its absolute peak, when “The Final Driving Machine” wasn’t only a tagline—it was an ethos. However attention-grabbing, it additionally appears to be a blueprint for the longer term. With Murry Automotive, Bugatti, and Aston Martin all releasing high-revving naturally aspirated engines not too long ago, it could appear that there’s some magic left in BMW’s method.

So, is the McLaren F1’s S70/2 the most effective BMW engine of all time?

With out query. Not simply because it sits on the coronary heart of arguably the most effective analogue automobile of all time and even went on to win LeMans twice. It’s as a result of it captures all the things BMW M has stood for since its inception.