Conception
At the request of then VW CEO Ferdinand Piech, Giorgetto Giugiaro and his Italdesign team was to design a Volkswagen supercar, 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 VW's Syncro AWD system.
Another reason for its conception was to prove to the world that Volkswagen could build a large and reliable engine for its luxury car, the Phaeton, and its SUV, the Touareg.
1997 Concepts
In 1997, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Volkswagen stunned the crowds with their 1st supercar, a bright yellow W12 Coupe with a 5.8L W12 engine producing 309 kW (420 bhp), with Syncro AWD, and also, to the surprise of the public, a red W12 Roadster with the same engine in a rear-wheel drive configuration.
2001 Concept
In 2001, at the Tokyo Motor Show, VW released their most powerful W12 supercar version yet, in Bright Orange. The engine was rated at producing 441kW (512hp) and 458 ft·lbf of torque; it could go from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in about 3.5 seconds and had a top speed of 214 mph (350 km/h), weighing just 1200 kg. It was one of the fastest supercar concepts in the world.
World Record Holder
A special unpainted carbon fiber version of the W12 Coupe set 7 world 24-hour speed records at the Nardo Circuit near Lecce, Italy. The car's nickname was derived from the circuit
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