Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
A great man once said that, and boy is it ever right in this day and age … Seems that the mighty Mercedes-Benz is going to be ditching their huge displacement, whomping-stomping V-12s and will begin using blown V-8s for all of their high performance needs. Hey, nothing wrong with that. Head down to the local drag strip to see how much grunt you can get out of 8 cylinders. And besides, V-12s are sort of an Italian thing, more than a German. MB’s move seems to follow (mirror?) BMW’s ditching of the naturally aspirated V10 in favor of a twin-turbo V8 for their top models. So say Auf Wiedersehen to Mercedes models currently running the company’s 6.0-liter V12: the S600, CL600, SL600, S65, CL65, and SL65.
However, if you DO get the chance town drive or own one of these beasts, I won’t tell you it’s a bad idea (if you can afford it). Sure, they’re not as light and revvy as a Ferrari V-12, nor is the note as operatic, but like everything Mercedes makes, they feel like they’re as tough as an anvil (and twice as heavy); very similar to the V-12 Mercedes provided to the Luftwaffe to install in their Messerschmitt Bf 109.
Only without the Rheinmetall-Borsig cannon mounted between the cylinders.
Source: LeftLaneNews
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