Lesson plan
W12 engine
aircraft engine A W12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine in which either three banks of four cylinders, or four banks of three cylinders are arranged in a W configuration around a common crankshaft. W12 engines with three banks of four cylinders were used in several aircraft engines from 1917 until the 1930s. A three-bank design was also used for an unsuccessful W12 engine that was intended to compete in Formula One in 1990. W12 engines are less common than V12 engines and only a handful of automobile manufacturers use them. The WR12 engine was produced by the Volkswagen Group between 2001 and 2024. This four-bank engine – based on two VR6 engines with a common crankshaft – has been used only in flagship high performance car models produced by the Volkswagen Group and by Spyker.
Article summary
aircraft engine A W12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine in which either three banks of four cylinders, or four banks of three cylinders are arranged in a W configuration around a common crankshaft. W12 engines with three banks of four cylinders were used in several aircraft engines from 1917 until the 1930s. A three-bank design was also used for an unsuccessful W12 engine that was intended to compete in Formula One in 1990. W12 engines are less common than V12 engines and only a handful of automobile manufacturers use them. The WR12 engine was produced by the Volkswagen Group between 2001 and 2024. This four-bank engine – based on two VR6 engines with a common crankshaft – has been used only in flagship high performance car models produced by the Volkswagen Group and by Spyker.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.