Mercedes SL65 AMG, 2004, 15k, £84,995
The V12 is moving into an interesting era. The long-prophesied downfall has not yet come to pass. Instead, the configuration is being preserved for a new generation by the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari, and deified by niche manufacturers like Gordon Murray Automotive. All of it borrowed time, perhaps - but for as long as 12 cylinders remain a lightning rod for a certain kind of money-no-object enthusiasm, they will continue, albeit at increasingly wild premiums. Thank goodness then for the secondhand market, which will supply you with all the grandeur for a fraction of the cost. Barely run-in Mercedes SL 65 AMG with 612hp from its 6.0-litre, Hammer-of-the-God’s unit? You’ll get a fiver back from £85k. Bosh.
Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2014, 45k, £89,950
Of course, Mercedes’ turbocharged monster is a leftover leviathan of the 20th century. The Rolls-Royce Ghost is interesting because, unlike several major rivals (and keenly aware of which side its bread is buttered) it will soldier on with its kingly 6.75-litre V12 all the way till 2030. Obviously its maker can point more environmentally sensitive customers to the Spectre, but for those who don’t like change, twelve cylinders are set to remain a monolith-like presence in the lineup for years yet. Which will help to keep prices of ten-year-old examples accessible to the hoi polloi. Here’s a lovely looking one with the older 6.6-litre unit for fifty quid less than £90k.
Aston Martin DBS, 2009, 31k, £87,995
If the Roller is too biased toward the comfort of those sitting in the back for your liking, how about a manual DBS with no rear seats at all? Granted, the model wasn’t Aston’s finest hour in terms of model differentiation back in the day, but now it’s easier to appreciate for its own sake - especially when you’re selecting which ratio to be in with Bond-like precision. The vendor reckons just 61 examples of the DBS were built in Lightning Silver with the six-speed manual, and it seems pretty timeless with an Obsidian black leather interior. It’s got a full Aston service history, too, and has accumulated just 31k miles since 2009. To die for, right?
Bentley Flying Spur, 2007, 25k, £19,800
If £90k is massively too rich for your blood, how about £19k? Clearly the Flying Spur slightly upsets the apple cart by not featuring a V12 - although its inimitable W-shaped configuration hasn’t prevented Bentley from selling many more twelve-cylinder engines than virtually anyone else in the last 20 years. You don’t need us to tell you that earlier examples are abundantly available for hatchback money in the classifieds, offering the usual mix of pomp and peril, but we’re always happy to remind people that the experience is quite unlike any other. Particularly when you’ve only paid a fraction of the retail price for a car with just one previous owner and a Bentley-stamped service book.
Ferrari 599 GTB, 2008, 29k, £87,500
For anyone who simply must have the full-fat hit of V12 goodness in its most distilled format, there is no finer purveyor than Ferrari. And arguably no finer exponent than the epoch-making F140 series, which started life in the Enzo more than 20 years ago, and righteously continues in the forthcoming 12Cilindri. Its more exotic variations justifiably cost the earth, but secondhand examples of the 599 GTB - as good a front-engined car as Ferrari has ever made - are arguably among the best pound-for-pound bargains currently available anywhere if you’re inclined to think its 620hp 6.0-litre V12 among the best-ever petrol-burning motors. And we are inclined. This one, with 29k on the clock, fits the bill nicely.
Jaguar XJ-C, 1977, 69k, £65,000
To end, something completely different. Needless to say, Jaguar’s relationship with V12 engines is hugely extensive and occasionally epic. Between 1971 and 1997, it built 161,583 examples of its flagship unit, many of them the fuel-injected 5.3-litre V12 that takes pride of place in this lovely looking XJ-C. The coupe version of the XJ has its own lively history to speak of - not all of it exemplary - but on the basis that this is now a near 50-year-old classic, we can simply tidy all the pitfalls into a box marked ‘TLC required’. This one has clearly enjoyed a great deal of that from its first and only owner. If you’d like to be the second (off the back of a six-figure restoration) the asking price is a very reasonable sounding £65k.
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