The Lamborghini Murciélago that never saw the light of day, that is the W12 Nardò

Many vehicles have been forgotten, due to their lack of success or because they simply never got beyond being a concept car. Within this last group we find the Volkswagen W12 Nardò, the German firm’s interpretation of a supercar. Unfortunately, its presence was brief and it never reached the production line at Volkswagen, something its close relative the Audi R8 did achieve. Today we will analyse the characteristics of this unusual vehicle in more detail.

It was at the beginning of the 21st century when Volkswagen decided to venture into the fantastic world of supercars. Specifically, it was at the Tokyo Motor Show that the W12 Nardò made its appearance, leaving everyone who witnessed its presentation astonished. In this way the most radical Volkswagen in history was born, thanks to its daring and revolutionary styling and its imposing mechanicals.

On the outside, we find a vehicle whose concept was similar to that of the Lamborghini Murciélago, since it had a powerful mid-rear-mounted engine and two doors that opened like scissors. Without a doubt, the German firm created a radical and, for the time, unusual model, which generated great anticipation among the public. At the same time, it had a low, sharp nose, which not only gave the W12 Nardò a sporty character but also excellent aerodynamics.

As for the mechanicals, as its name suggests, we find a powerful 6.0-litre naturally aspirated W12 capable of producing a staggering 600 CV. This allowed the Nardò to reach 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h, making it the fastest Volkswagen in history had its production gone ahead. With this vehicle, the German firm intended to become the nightmare of Italian supercars, proving that it also knew how to build high-performance cars.

Following the warm reception the W12 Nardò received, Volkswagen considered putting it into production as a limited series, specifically planning to build 150 units up to 2004, something similar to what the group did with the Veyron. However, when the project was about to receive the green light, the head of the company rejected the idea of making the Nardò a reality.

The cancellation of the W12 Nardò’s production was due to the strong development of Lamborghini and Bugatti within the VAG group, since these were two brands with better prospects of achieving good sales with their supercars. Without doubt, the Volkswagen model was a success and will always remain in our memories.