Smooth operator

EXOTIC AND unobtainable by mere mortals, the V12 engine was worshipped from afar. Steeped in mythical lore, these complex marvels were tended by a team of Latin maestros, the only engineers capable of orchestrating perfection. Until, that is, upstart engineers fromCoventry dared to perform miracles and had the temerity to put a unit into production that was so smooth, nothing else could compete.

The Italians might have hijacked the V12 configuration for their fabulous sports cars, but the first application was British: Glaswegian Alistair (Arthur) Craig set up the Putney Motor Company in London and proceeded to build a side-valve V12 engine of 18.3 litres, producing 155bhp, designed for powerboat racing; Packard beat Sunbeam to the post in 1915 for the first V12 engine in a production car. Other American companies followed, with Lincoln being especially successful. A tenuous Jaguar link joined the fray in 1927