Lamborghini LE3512

Last updated
Lamborghini LE3512
Musee Lamborghini 0085.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Flag of Italy.svg Lamborghini
Designer Mauro Forghieri
Production1989–1993
Layout
Configuration 80° V12
Displacement 3.5  L (214  cu in)
Cylinder bore 87  mm (3  in)
Piston stroke 49  mm (2  in)
Valvetrain 48-valve, DOHC, four-valves per cylinder
Combustion
Turbocharger No
Fuel system Direct fuel injection
Oil system Dry sump
Output
Power output 600–750  hp (447–559  kW)
Torque output 285–330  lb⋅ft (386–447  N⋅m) [1]
Dimensions
Dry weight 150  kg (331  lb)

The Lamborghini LE3512 was a naturally-aspirated V12 motor racing engine, designed and developed by Lamborghini, to compete in Formula One. The engine was raced between 1989 and 1993. [2] [3]

Contents

Formula One

Lamborghini's 3.5L V12 Formula One engine, the 3512, at the Lamborghini Museum. Lambo V12 F1.JPG
Lamborghini's 3.5L V12 Formula One engine, the 3512, at the Lamborghini Museum.

Lamborghini made the move to Formula One in 1989 when the FIA outlawed turbocharged engines. [4] Former Scuderia Ferrari designer / engineer Mauro Forghieri was commissioned to design and build a new, 3.5 litre V12 engine for use by the French Larrousse team in 1989. Dubbed the Lamborghini LE3512, [5] (Lamborghini Engineering 3.5 liters 12 cylinders) the 3,493  cc (213.2  cu in ), 80° V12 engine was reported to be the best sounding engine of the new 3.5L naturally aspirated formula. Lamborghini representatives stated at the engine's début race, the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, that they chose a lower ranked team to join Formula One (Larrousse was in its third season using Lola chassis) as it was felt at the early stage of its development the 3512 would not be able to do justice to one of the teams usually closer to the front of the grid. Also, the front running teams already had existing engine suppliers in place (McLaren with Honda, Williams with Renault, Benetton with Ford, and Ferrari who made their own V12 engines).

The Lamborghini V12 did impress many in 1989 despite its unreliability, and the engine's best result in its first year came thanks to fast but accident-prone Larrousse driver Philippe Alliot when he qualified his Lola LC89 in 5th position for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, only 1.417 seconds slower than the V10 McLaren-Honda of pole winner Ayrton Senna. Alliot then backed up that performance by scoring the engine's first point in Formula One by finishing 6th in the race and setting the 4th fastest race lap in the process. Unfortunately, Alliot's teammate for the second half of 1989, former Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto, never came to grips with either the Lola or the Lamborghini. In his eight races for Larrousse he recorded four DNF's, two failures to pre-qualify, one failure to qualify, and a single 11th-place finish in Portugal.

The Lamborghini V12's best finish came when Larrousse driver Aguri Suzuki finished 3rd in the infamous 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Its time in Formula One (1989-1993) would prove to be frustrating though as poor reliability became the norm for the engine, despite being used by Grand Prix winning teams such as Lotus and Ligier who could boast driving talent such as Derek Warwick (Lotus - 1990), and Thierry Boutsen (Ligier - 1991). In a 2014 interview, Warwick said of the 3512 that it was "All noise and no go".

In 1993 after four years in Formula One with only one significant result for the engine, Bob Lutz of Lamborghini's parent company Chrysler, did a hand-shake deal with McLaren boss Ron Dennis for the team to test the LE3512 to evaluate its potential as a race winner. [6] [7] McLaren made a modified version of their 1993 race car, the McLaren MP4/8 dubbed the MP4/8B, [6] to test the engine (the test car took three months to modify to fit the longer and heavier V12 [7] ). Testing was completed by triple World Champion Ayrton Senna, and future dual World Champion Mika Häkkinen at both the Silverstone Circuit in England and the Estoril circuit in Portugal. [7] After his first drive of the car at Silverstone, Senna suggested certain changes to Forghieri (a less brutal 'top end' and a fatter mid-range), [7] and he complied with engine power increased from 710 bhp (529 kW; 720 PS) to approximately 750 bhp (559 kW; 760 PS) and both drivers were very impressed despite the engine still being somewhat unreliable (Häkkinen reported a massive engine blow up while testing at Silverstone, [7] though he did manage to lap the 5.226 km (3.260 mi) circuit some 1.4 seconds faster than the teams MP4/8 race car powered by a 680–700 bhp (507–522 kW; 689–710 PS) Ford V8 engine). [6] According to reports, Senna even wanted to race the engine at the Japanese Grand Prix [6] believing that while reliability might be a problem, at least he would be quicker than with the Ford powered race car [7] (ironically Senna would win in both Japan and the last race in Australia with the existing MP4/8). Despite this however, Ron Dennis decided to go with Peugeot V10 engines in 1994 due to a better commercial agreement that would give long term stability to the team and at the end of the 1993 season, the Lamborghini LE3512 was retired from Grand Prix racing [7] after the company was sold by Chrysler to an Indonesian investor group led by Tommy Suharto. [6]

The Lamborghini, which on all cars it powered carried the words "Chrysler powered by Lamborghini" (other than the McLaren MP4/8B which was all virgin white, though the test engines were badged as Chrysler), was one of only five V12 engines used in the naturally aspirated era from 1989–2013, the others being from Ferrari (1989-1995), Honda (1991-1992), Yamaha (1991-1992), and Porsche (1991). The only other 12 cylinder engines in Formula One during this time were disastrous efforts by Life Racing Engines with their W12 engine and Subaru who reintroduced the Flat 12 to the sport, both appearing in the first half of 1990.

LE3512 power output

F1 statistics 1989-1993

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1988 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Adelaide Street Circuit on 13 November 1988. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1988 Formula One World Championship, and the last race for which turbocharged engines would be eligible until the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 French Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race held in 1989

The 1989 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 9 July 1989. It was the seventh race of the 1989 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 German Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1989 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 30 July 1989. The race was won by Ayrton Senna, ahead of Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1989 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 10 September 1989. It was the twelfth race of the 1989 Formula One season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1989 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jerez on 1 October 1989. It was the fourteenth race of the 1989 Formula One World Championship. The 73-lap race was won from pole position by Ayrton Senna, driving a McLaren-Honda. Gerhard Berger was second in a Ferrari, while Senna's teammate and Drivers' Championship rival Alain Prost was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1990 United States Grand Prix was the opening motor race of the 1990 Formula One World Championship held on March 11, 1990, in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the 32nd United States Grand Prix since the American Grand Prize was first held in 1908, and the 25th under Formula One regulations since the first United States Grand Prix was held at Sebring, Florida in 1959. It was the second to be held on the streets of Phoenix and ran over 72 laps of the 4 km-circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Japanese Grand Prix</span> 15th round of the 1990 Formula One World Championship

The 1990 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 October 1990 at Suzuka. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 1990 Formula One season. It was the 16th Japanese Grand Prix and the 6th held at Suzuka. The race saw a first-corner collision between World Championship rivals Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna and French driver Alain Prost, the second consecutive year that the World Championship had been decided by a collision between the two at the same track. The collision immediately put both cars out of the race and secured Senna his second World Championship, a reversal of fortunes from the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, where the collision had secured the championship for Prost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larrousse</span> F1 team

Larrousse Formula One was a motorsports racing team founded in 1987 by Didier Calmels and former racer Gérard Larrousse, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. It was based in Antony, in the southern suburbs of Paris. It was renamed Larrousse after the departure of Calmels following his murder of his wife. The team competed in Formula One from 1987 to 1994 before succumbing to financial problems, scoring a best finish of third at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix during this time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini V12</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Lamborghini V12 refers to the flagship V12 engine used by Lamborghini. Lamborghini has had two generations of V12 engines through their history, both of which were developed in-house. The first-generation Lamborghini V12 was a sixty degree (60°) V12 petrol engine designed by Lamborghini, and was the first internal combustion engine ever produced by the firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4/6</span> Formula One racing car

The McLaren MP4/6 is a Formula One racing car designed by McLaren's Neil Oatley, Matthew Jeffreys, David North, David Neilson, Bob Bell and Mike Gascoyne; powered by the Honda RA121E V12 engine for use in the 1991 Formula One season, with the engine's design and development led by Osamu Goto. It was driven by reigning World Champion, Brazilian Ayrton Senna, and Austria's Gerhard Berger. Ayrton Senna would win his third World Championship in the MP4/6. The MP4/6 was notable for being the last F1 car to win the championship with a manual gearbox and the only F1 car powered by a V12 engine to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4/8</span> 1993 Formula One racing car by McLaren

The McLaren MP4/8 was the Formula One car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1993 Formula One World Championship. The car was designed by Neil Oatley around advanced electronics technology including a semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, two-way telemetry, and traction control systems, that were developed in conjunction with McLaren shareholder Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG). It was powered by the 3.5-litre Ford HBD7 V8 engine and was the first McLaren to feature barge boards. The McLaren MP4/8 was also first Ford-powered McLaren car since McLaren MP4/1C in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4/9</span> Formula One racing car for the 1994 season

The McLaren MP4/9 was a Formula One car designed by Neil Oatley and used by the McLaren team in the 1994 Formula One World Championship. The number 7 car was driven by Finn Mika Häkkinen, in his first full season with the team, while the number 8 car was driven by Briton Martin Brundle, who had signed from Ligier. Frenchman Philippe Alliot deputised in the number 7 car at the Hungarian Grand Prix when Häkkinen was banned from driving in this race. For the 21st consecutive year, Marlboro was the team's title sponsor, with additional sponsorship from Hugo Boss, Shell and Goodyear. The MP4/9 was the first and only McLaren F1 car to utilise Peugeot engines.

This article gives an outline of Formula One engines, also called Formula One power units since the hybrid era starting in 2014. Since its inception in 1947, Formula One has used a variety of engine regulations. Formulae limiting engine capacity had been used in Grand Prix racing on a regular basis since after World War I. The engine formulae are divided according to era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus 102</span> Racing car model

The Lotus 102 was a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus for use in the 1990 Formula One season and would eventually go on to compete in 37 races spanning three seasons from 1990 until 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakspeed 891</span> Formula One Car

The Zakspeed 891 was a Formula One car for the 1989 season run by the German Zakspeed team. Its drivers were German Bernd Schneider in his second year with the team and F1 rookie Aguri Suzuki from Japan. The car was powered by F1 newcomer Yamaha who had produced the OX88 V8 engine for exclusive use by Zakspeed in Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lola LC89</span> Racing car model

The Lola LC89 is a Formula One car designed by Lola founder Eric Broadley and used in the 1989 Formula One season by the Larrousse team. It was powered by the 3.5-litre Lamborghini 3512 V12 engine designed by former Ferrari designer Mauro Forghieri. Drivers of the car included Philippe Alliot, Éric Bernard, Aguri Suzuki and Michele Alboreto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lola LC88</span> Formula One car

The Lola LC88 is a Formula One car that the Larrousse team used to compete in the 1988 and one race in the 1989 Formula One season. It was an evolution of the previous LC87 model, except for major changes to the front suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larrousse LH93</span> Racing car model

The Larrousse LH93 was the car with which the Larrousse team competed in the 1993 Formula One World Championship. The LH93 was Larrousse's first in-house chassis, following six seasons with Lola and Venturi chassis. Driven by Philippe Alliot, Érik Comas and Toshio Suzuki, the LH93 scored three points, giving the team tenth in the Constructors' Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lola LC90</span> Racing car model

The Lola LC90 was a Formula One car designed by Eric Broadley and Chris Murphy for use in the 1990 Formula One season by the Larrousse team. It was powered by the 3.5L Lamborghini LE3512 V12 engine. The car was driven by Japanese driver Aguri Suzuki who had spent 1989 failing to pre-qualify all 16 races for Zakspeed, and Frenchman Éric Bernard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford-Cosworth HB engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The HB is a series of 3.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 Formula One racing engines, designed, developed and produced by Cosworth, in partnership with Ford; and used between 1989 and 1994. The customer engines were used by Benetton, Fondmetal, McLaren, Lotus, Minardi, Footwork, Simtek, and Larrousse.

References

  1. ↑ "Natural Aspirations". 25 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Close Encounter - the story of Lamborghini and Formula 1". 2 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "Engine Lamborghini • STATS F1".
  4. ↑ Lamborghini 3512 Formula One V12 @ STATSF1
  5. ↑ "Alcune applicazioni storiche - 1989/1993" [Some historical applications] (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Rainer Nyberg (2001). "McLaren's brief flirtation with the Chrysler empire". 8w.forix.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "What if Senna had driven a McLaren-Lamborghini in 1994?". www.race2play.com. F1 Racing. 2011-04-04. Archived from the original on 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.