Land Rover’s Abandoned Plan for a BMW V12 Range Rover
In the late 1990s, Land Rover engineered a prototype Range Rover with a BMW-sourced V12 engine, but the project was shelved before production.
Land Rover built a working prototype of the second-generation Range Rover fitted with a BMW V12 engine in the mid-1990s, but the project was ultimately abandoned before it could reach production.
The plan emerged during BMW’s ownership of Land Rover, which began in 1994. At the time, the Range Rover was due for replacement, and BMW’s influence brought a range of technical changes to the new model. According to period reports, engineers installed the 5.4-litre M73 V12 from the contemporary BMW 7 Series into the Range Rover P38A platform. The prototype required a longer front overhang to accommodate the size of the engine, which was never designed for the Range Rover’s engine bay.
Why Land Rover considered a V12
The move to fit a V12 was motivated by a desire to position the Range Rover at the top of the luxury SUV segment. At the time, the market for high-performance SUVs was limited, but manufacturers were beginning to explore the potential for more powerful, upmarket variants. A V12 Range Rover would have offered more power and refinement than the V8 and diesel options available, aiming to compete with the most luxurious saloons from Germany.
BMW’s M73 V12 produced up to 322bhp and 490Nm of torque in the 750iL, paired with a five-speed automatic gearbox. The Range Rover’s chassis would have needed further modification to handle the extra weight and power, and the extended front end would have altered its proportions considerably.
Project cancellation and aftermath
Despite the engineering work, the V12 Range Rover never made it past the prototype stage. Sources suggest that the project was dropped as priorities shifted within Land Rover and BMW. The complexity and cost of adapting the Range Rover to the V12, along with concerns over market demand, contributed to the decision. Not long after, BMW sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000, ending any prospect of a V12-powered model.
Range Rover’s later engine strategy
After the V12 project was shelved, Land Rover continued to use BMW-sourced V8 engines in the third-generation Range Rover, which launched in 2002. The brand later moved to Jaguar-derived V8s after Ford took control. While the idea of a V12-powered Range Rover never returned, the luxury SUV market did eventually see 12-cylinder engines from rivals such as the Volkswagen Group’s Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q7 V12 TDI.
The V12 Range Rover remains a footnote in the model’s history, illustrating the technical ambitions and changing ownership that shaped Land Rover in the late 1990s.
