Lamborghini Revuelto vs Ferrari 12Cilindri vs Aston Martin Vanquish: V12 Track Test

303km/h along the main straight. That was the final look I allowed myself. 188mph heading into, what, sixth gear? By that point I genuinely did not care, having surrendered completely to the Revuelto and wanting only to savour the V12’s sound, rage, fire and theatre for as long as I could.

Leaning back and immersed in an experience I never want to end, it is difficult to shake myself from the reverie and remember that Turn 1 requires braking. Fine, reality calls, and I will tackle a few corners if I have to. Then, though, I need another fix. Perhaps another snarling, full-bore pass for the people on the pit wall. Maybe two. Or I could find out whether the Aston Martin affects me in the same way. Then there is the Ferrari.

The V12. We were repeatedly told its time was up: that the fun police were arriving, enforcing cylinder reductions and permanently confiscating the world’s finest engine layout.

Photography: John Wycherley

Reader, allow us a confession from the interview room: we were among those making the predictions. In late 2015, almost exactly a decade ago, we assembled what we thought could be the final glorious V12s we would ever encounter and sent them on a road trip. The Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin Vanquish and Ferrari F12 headed to Scotland, and on our return Sam Philip wrote lines such as these...

“I fear we’ll look back on these as the last days of the huge engined, naturally aspirated supercar... emissions regulations are close to rendering the big, free breathing V12 extinct”, and “I’d put a shiny pound on the Aventador being [Lambo’s] last turbo free V12”.

Those were more innocent days, although I have no objection to making Sam settle that bet. Yet here we are, almost precisely 10 years after our gloom-laden forecasts, reunited with the direct successors to those three cars - and every one still carries a 12-cylinder engine beneath its bonnet. Ferrari is sufficiently confident about that fact to put it on the badge. Get lost, fun police.

Ferrari 12Cilindri, Lamborghini Revuelto and Aston Martin Vanquish V12 engines

As you may already have gathered, however, Sam was not entirely wrong. Just one of this trio maintains the unadulterated purity of natural aspiration: the Ferrari. As we will find, its 6,496cc, 65°, 9,500rpm F140 engine - with roots reaching back to the Enzo and now more than 20 years old - is also the finest engine here.

Its rivals have been forced to compromise: Aston Martin through turbocharging and Lamborghini through electric motors. Lamborghini and electricity might sound like a pairing as naturally harmonious as Trump and Musk, but I would take a retained V12 with electric assistance over an SF90. Making the V12 suitable for electrification did demand changes, though. The L539 was a new engine when the Aventador appeared in 2011, whereas the current 6,498cc, 60°, 9,500rpm L545 has been turned through 180°, made lighter and reworked.

For evidence of V12 staying power, Aston Martin is the obvious place to look. The same fundamental engine has served since the DB7 V12 Vantage of 1999. It has powered Aston through everything over the years, received turbochargers for the DB11 in 2016 and now produces almost twice the horsepower it made then. Above all, it is the power increases enabled by electric motors and turbos that have transformed the V12 landscape.

Back in Scotland, Ferrari’s 730bhp car was the most powerful; today, at 819bhp, it is the least powerful. Over the decade, it has added only 90bhp, while the Aston Martin has gained 259bhp and the Lamborghini 311bhp.

Should the Revuelto even be included, though? Mid-engined and four-wheel drive, it is plainly the sharp-nosed wild card here, granted an advantage before its wheels even rotate. It is a supercar while the other two are super GTs, so the outcome of a drag race is as predictable as expected. The Lamborghini disappears into the distance. But that was not the contest we came for.

I am sitting in the Ferrari, certain that I will beat the Aston Martin. Its traction control is better, its torque management is superior, and surely 402m is not enough distance for the Aston’s 271Nm torque advantage to matter. Yet the reverse happens: the Aston Martin launches more quickly than I anticipated, but beyond that point the 200kg-lighter Ferrari holds the upper hand.

9 minutes 55 seconds

We did not run the drag race to identify the quickest car, however. We simply wanted to establish whether 36 cylinders sound better than 12. They do. The best things are not overthought, and hearing the main straight torn apart first by the Revuelto’s dirty, mischievous contralto bellow, followed by the higher, cleaner and more melodic Ferrari, before the thunderous Vanquish completes the sequence, is an experience worth having.

Every car here has more power than it can properly deploy, yet the Ferrari challenges its driver more than either rival. That is not because of its powertrain, but because its chassis becomes so excitable when pressed. Still, this colossal V12 remains the greatest powerplant in the world.

Throttle response is without equal, while its large capacity delivers instant torque in abundance. It is the complete V12 aristocrat: impeccably behaved, refined and silky, yet thrillingly unhinged as it closes on 9,500rpm. The Lamborghini comes close, but cannot equal the Ferrari’s purity and definition. Its gearbox and brakes are equally accomplished, too. Yes, accelerating and stopping are the 12Cilindri’s great strengths.

Ferrari 12Cilindri chassis versus Aston Martin Vanquish composure

The part in between is less convincing, because the chassis feels as though it has become complacent. We expect Ferraris to feel a little edgy, given their rapid, direct steering and active rear-wheel steering, but at circuit speeds the issue is insufficient body control. You attempt to make smooth inputs, only for the 12Cilindri to amplify every one. That makes it feel awake and lively - arguably excessively so, considering it delivered the test’s biggest moment when it began oversteering at the exit of the extremely fast final bend just as I thought it was fully settled.

I find the Aston not just less intimidating than the Ferrari, but more satisfying

Attempting to drive the 12Cilindri quickly is, to put it gently, rather demanding. It oversteers everywhere, its rear behaving as if its wide tyres had been replaced by a pair of castors. That would be acceptable if the damping felt supportive and inspired full confidence, but instead I wanted the 12Cilindri to relax slightly, for its suspension to settle and iron out the surface.

A lack of body control and a degree of numbness in the feedback were once Aston Martin traits. This new generation, beginning with the DB12 three years ago, continuing with the two-seat Vantage that proved something of a hero at PCOTY last year, and now including this Vanquish, has moved things on substantially.

Previously, Aston Martin rear axles would wriggle beneath the torque assault, compressing clumsily and buckling when bumps intervened. Progress could be unsettled. But as soon as the Vanquish squats and accelerates, its tautness is apparent, along with a direct link between throttle and rear wheels. It is extremely well supported, leaving you more comfortable exploiting the engine.

I greatly enjoy hustling the Vanquish around Portimão. It is not as much of an attack machine as the Ferrari. Its steering is less frenetic, its soundtrack more restrained, and it is heavier, less nimble and burdened by an automatic gearbox that is much too slow to select second gear for tighter corners. Taken as a whole, though, I find the Aston Martin not only less intimidating than the Ferrari, but also more rewarding.

Its engine accounts for much of that. It neither sounds as good as the Ferrari’s nor responds remotely as sharply, because it does not - indeed, turbo lag becomes an issue when revs fall below 3,500rpm - yet its torque is close to bottomless, lending the Vanquish a sensation of effortless acceleration. The quantity of thrust available through its long-travel throttle is extraordinary: a continually expanding force.

Lamborghini Revuelto brings V12 power and chassis depth

The Aston Martin is straightforward and easy to understand. The Revuelto is magnificently complicated. Three electric motors work alongside the V12, there is a battery, and the steering wheel carries more buttons, dials and controls than a DJ’s mixing deck. Still, you will spend longer deciding which mode to select than working out what type of car the Revuelto is. That becomes clear immediately: it is the best sort of supercar, one that wants to enjoy itself and understands exactly how.

One early qualification: it is not a drift car. Nevertheless, it knows precisely what it is and what it exists to do. Scratch the surface and it remains the familiar Lamborghini: noise, theatre, flamboyant looks and a complete inability to be discreet or move quietly through the world. Even when running in EV mode.

The welcome novelty is a level of handling intelligence, balance, chassis calm and control we have seldom seen from Lamborghini. Sitting low in that slim wedge of a cockpit, with the windscreen extending beyond your feet, you are flung around Portimão by 1,001bhp while still feeling secure and supported despite all the external mayhem and spectacle. That is genuinely special.

At the outset, I joked that I merely needed to get the Lamborghini through the rest of the circuit to unleash it down the main straight once more. In truth, the rest of the circuit is the finest part.

It has genuine depth and nuance, and a chassis that can keep pace with its engine

Two points are worth making. All three cars are vastly improved by their V12s, proving that reports of the configuration’s death have been greatly exaggerated. My fault. A good V12 has such soul, richness and texture: it feels creamy but still bites, is supremely sophisticated while raising every hair on your body. Ignore the output figures; these are the ultimate engines for an experience.

Imagine any of these cars fitted with a turbocharged V8 or V6 instead. Aston Martin sells other similar cars with V8s, and they are exceptionally good. But the Vanquish is special. Look at the Revuelto, then imagine it with a turbo V8. It simply would not be right, would it? This is a triumphant, majestic car, and it requires a V12. With the Revuelto available, complete with a V12 and luggage space, I cannot see one reason to choose a Ferrari SF90.

Ferrari ought to install its V12 in more models. It is a transcendent engine that will deservedly be remembered and celebrated in years to come. Yet the 12Cilindri surrounding it does not advance the game in other areas against rivals that truly have.

Its sales numbers may not yet be as attractive as the Vanquish’s bodywork, and it is a more restrained car than the others here, but Aston Martin’s masterful flagship brings not only grandeur and presence. It is connected and involving exactly as you would hope, with just enough roguish character.

Our circuit winner, though, is the Revuelto. Initially, you expect another arm-waving enthusiast, as melodramatic as its styling, only to find real depth and subtlety, plus a chassis capable of matching its engine. For as long as you dare hold the throttle open.