V12 engine for the postwar market in Europe, production of V12-engined-cars was very limited until the 1960s. Ferrari has traditionally reserved their top V12 engine for their top-of-the line luxury sports coupes since 1949. Ferrari's closest rival, Lamborghini has also used the V12 configuration for many of its road cars since the company's inception in 1963. In 1972, Jaguar introduced the XJ12, equipped with a 5.3 litre V12, which continued (after revisions in 1993) until the 1996 model year, after which the marque discontinued the twelve-cylinder engine. BMW returned to V12 designs for its 7 Series sedan in model year 1986, forcing
Jaguar V12 engine some as one of the premier powerplants of the 1970s and 1980s. Initial designs for the V12 were produced as early as 1954, with a view to using it in a Le Mans car. The engine was to be a 5.0-litre, quad-cam engine with a high redline, which shared the same basic architecture of the XK cylinder head. After Jaguar withdrew from racing, the V12 designs lay forgotten until 1963 when Jaguar Cars purchased Coventry Climax and, as a result, Walter Hassan who designed the XK engine with William Haynes at SS Cars Ltd, rejoined the team together with Harry