Type 125 "Testa Rossa" engine in a 1961 Ferrari 250TR Spyder]] V12 redirects here. For the V12 Training program, see V-12 Navy College Training Program. A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinder in two banks. Like a straight-6, this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no balance shafts.A V12 with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60° or 180° from each other has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as, and is smoother than a straight-6 because there is always even positive net torque output with little variation. This allows for great refinement in a luxury car; in a racing car, the rotating parts can be made much lighter and thus more responsive, since there is no need to use counterweights on the crankshaft as is needed in a 90° V8 and less need for the inertial mass in a flyw