The fruits of VW's labors resulted in the world's first and only narrow angle V6 engine, a distinction that carries on even today. At 2.8-liters in displacement, the VR6, as it was to be called, was much larger than any motor ever offered in a VW product previous to that point. Its unique 15 degree angle layout gave the motor a physical stature that was shorter and narrower than a conventional V6, allowing it to be wedged under the hood of short, compact, front-wheel driven cars.
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| The middle-of-the-road midsize model Passat could hardly justify its rarified price once the new engine was fitted. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada) |
Since its development, Volkswagen has implemented two versions of the motor, the original 2.8-liter for use in its Golf and Jetta range, the VR6, and a larger 3.2-liter iteration without the cult-like 'R' designation, first seen in the limited-run New Beetle RSi, and currently available in the Golf R32 and Touareg V6, as well as in Porsche's entry-level Cayenne SUV.
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| One can view the W8 motor as a W12 with one cylinder from each bank of cylinders lopped off, or as half a W16. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada) |
After achieving a great deal of success with the VR6, Volkswagen's engineers applied the same theory to powerplants with larger displacements and a higher cylinder count. The first of such experiments was the fusion of two VR6 motors, side to side and still slightly staggered, sharing one common crankshaft. The new motor, known today as the W12, was first featured in the W12/Nardo supercar concept, as well as a variety of Bentley, Audi and Volkswagen products. It also became the basis of a series of modular engines of which a larger W16 and a smaller W8 were born.