I just love taking things apart and putting them back together. Well, to be honest, I really love just taking things apart. The putting together oftentimes befuddles me and I inevitably end up with a number of unidentifiable parts left over at the end.
That’s why I find this video of craftsmen assembling the Volkswagen-engineered W12 engine for Bentley so relaxing. Not only do they have all the right tools, it looks like they get all the parts in too! There’s also something fascinating about that scrunched up little VR-12 engine that is made even more intriguing when you see it in its unassembled state. So, since the week ahead is filled with your own work, sit back and relax while you watch someone else toil for a while.
Source: YouTube
Because it's Monday: Let's Watch a Bentley W12 Engine Being Put Together
By Robert Emslie
Apr 17, 2017
Kamil Kaluski 
Robby DeGraff
Headline needs to be fixed its not a W8, its a W12.
No doubt it’s just a Freudian slip after spending all weekend browsing craigslist for Passats.
Fixed, thanks! I was looking for W8 videos and for some reason it stuck with me.
I always thought that W12 engines are much more compact than a V12.
Seems I was wrong. This thing is a behemoth. A tank engine.
they’re shorter, so a chassis can be designed for a V8 and a W12 version without adding length to the V8 version’s body, allowing the entire vehicle to be kept shorter. but notice how tall and wide it is – all those camshafts and cylinders expand in every direction except forward.
it fits with the stoic, upright stance that Bentleys tend to have, but it’s definitely a compromise compared to a V12. if you ask me, i’d rather have a “6-3/4 litre” V8, but i’ve not been blessed with the opportunity to drive either, so my opinion is meaningless.
Hmm…I doubt this engine is shorter. Please look that height. It is waaayyyyyyyy
taller than anything Ferrari or BMW. And than that bulky crankcase.
to clarify, i meant a W12 is shorter lengthwise than a V12, all else being equal. for a V12 you have to put six cylinders in a straight line twice; the W12 arrangement allows you to use staggered banks of three cylinders. i’d bet the length of a W12 is similar to the length of a similarly-equipped V8 (though, as you say, width and height are much greater).
for comparison, here’s a Bentley W12 block with an 84mm bore and a Mercedes V12 block with an 82mm bore. since the cylinder diameters are close, you can use them as a reference; the Mercedes engine is significantly longer. obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it shows one reason the W12 might be a desirable configuration.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uUu1zHO6Ppo/VQb7DIl1btI/AAAAAAAALGs/OFw2qAig8G4/s1600/WvsV.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/www.pacificmotors.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/6/55L-V12-M275-Engine-Cylinder-Block-Camshaft-Mercedes-CL600-S600-W216-2003-14-282093263766-5.jpg?fit=1600%2C1200&ssl=1