Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout followed by the first De Tomaso, the Vallelunga, which mated a tuned Ford Cortina 1500 Kent engine to a VW transaxle with Hewland gearsets. Introduced at Turin in 1963, 58 were built 1964-68. Finally, in 1966, the Lamborghini Miura was the first high performance mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadcar. The concept behind the Miura was that of putting on the road a grand tourer featuring state-of-the-art racing-car technology of the time; hence the Miura was powered by a V12 transversely mounted between the rear wheels, solidal to the gearbox and differential. This represented an extremely innovative sportscar at a time when all
V12 engine Mercedes-Benz to follow suit in 1991. While BMW sells far fewer V12-engined 7 Series vehicles than V8 versions, the V12 is marketed in the U.S., China , and Russia. The BMW-designed V12 is used in Rolls-Royce cars, while the Mercedes engine was installed in Maybach cars. Mercedes S65 AMG, CL65 AMG, and SL65 AMG are powered by a V12 Bi Turbo engine making and at 2,300-4,300 rpm. The CL65 AMG has a significant higher cost, but the V12 engine makes them a status symbol. The V12 engine is generally smoother than the other 12-cylinder configuration, the W12, although the W12