Zenvo unveils world’s most powerful roadgoing V12

Just when it seemed like the days of truly jaw-dropping hypercars were done, the resurgence came. Bugatti made a new V16, McLaren created a real-life Vision Gran Turismo car (with a new V10), the Aston Valkyrie reached the road and Zenvo debuted the Aurora.  All are bedroom poster-worthy. Now we know a little more about the incoming Danish demon, with its monster V12 now revealed to the world.

Now, quad-turbo 12 cylinders don’t come around all that often – the Bugatti EB110 seems the most obvious example. It lends itself to big power, with all that capacity and so much forced induction assistance, and that’s exactly what Zenvo will offer with the Mjølner: they reckon 1,267hp (1,250bhp) is possible, before a 600hp electric boost. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the redline will be 9,800rpm and – get this – the Mjølner has been designed ‘specifically for the road’. It is said to be compliant with current and future emissions regs across the world, which is some achievement for a 6.6-litre engine from a niche manufacturer.

Aiding the engine in that will be Mahle’s Jet Ignition system. The V12 will actually be built by Mahle Powertrain in Northampton (the UK is becoming the place to go for exotic engines right now), and the Jet Ignition tech has been in development for more than a decade; it means the Mjølner can operate under ‘Lambda1’ conditions, which will be essential for future emissions tests. This is not just going to be some crazy track engine that requires a team to keep it running.

There’ll be more coming, too, as the V12 is the first Zenvo engine built on a new modular architecture. Meaning, presumably, something smaller and slightly less extreme (perhaps with just two turbos, for example) could be derived from Mjølner. Or, Zenvo being Zenvo, a V16 spun off it. Either way, this seems a long-term commitment to combustion. 

Understandably, the company suggests that the Aurora programme has taken a ‘significant step forward’ with the completion of an engine. It added that development continues ‘at pace’ – the last thing you’d want in this current hotbed of hypercar activity is to be gazumped by something even wilder. 

Zenvo’s Chairman Jens Sverdrup said: “Sound and visceral drama is what Aurora will be all about, and the engine is a vital element in this, which we will turn up to 11. At Zenvo, we are a team of passionate, genuine ‘car guys’, and it is not every day that a V12 engine is born, so it is a very proud moment and very exciting to finally showcase Mjølner. The fact it is the world’s most powerful roadcar engine was not something we set out to achieve, but is a result of us pushing what we know is possible. This is a hugely important milestone, and the next step will see – and hear! – it come to life, and it has been designed to deliver at every level, which shows the progress we continue to make.” That dyno video can’t come soon enough.