You’d Have To Be Mad To Ride This 1,200 Horsepower V12 250 MPH ‘Quad Bike’ (But I Want To)

Hello Dear Reader, I have some questions for you. Are you an adrenaline junkie? Is jumping out of perfectly functional planes not good enough for you? Do you absolutely, positively need to feel you’re cheating death to be officially having fun? Well, I have the ride for you! Meet the Engler V12, a 1,200 HP engine with a seat on top of it calling itself a “quad bike,” or more specifically a “SuperQuad.” Yes, this is basically just a hypercar you sit on rather than in, and honestly, what a great way to depart from your mortal plane of existence.

The Engler V12 first made rounds in the media back in the spring, but it’s making the rounds again thanks in part to Top Gear finally getting to test one of these SuperQuad things, the creation of Slovak engineer Victor Engler, and yes, it really is going into production. I suppose this is the machine for you if you want the speed brought on by a Bugatti, but are allergic to such luxuries as roofs and windshields. This is for the kind of person who might want a Can-Am Spyder, but thinks a top speed of 113 mph is just too slow. If that’s you, here’s something you can twist the throttle on all the way to 250 mph, provided you’re crazy enough to drive something that fast without being enclosed in a cockpit.

You’ve probably never heard of a Victor Engler or an Engler Automotive before and that’s okay. Engler says his company has been around for nearly a decade, and it’s based on a dream he’s had for about 35 years. When Engler was a kid, he had a dream to create his own supercar. But he didn’t want to create any normal supercar. His would combine the traits of the world’s fastest cars with motorcycles and confusingly, quads. Yes, those same kinds of quads you fell off of as a kid. But Engler’s would go far and beyond, pushing the definition of a “quad bike” to the limit.

The company’s development timelines have been lengthy. A rough concept for what was known as the Engler F.F was revealed in 2017. Then, the vehicle started making the auto show rounds in 2019.

Engler called his F.F “the world’s first and only SuperQuad” and to his credit, he wasn’t wrong. There haven’t been many people in history who looked at a supercar and thought it would be improved by removing its roof and replacing its steering wheel with a motorcycle handlebar.

The F.F, later called the Desat, robbed poor Audi R8 5.2s of their V10 engines, headlights, and other parts. Then it got two turbos to crank the power up from 620 HP to 850 HP. Engler said his quad got to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds and raced on to a top speed of 217 mph. The thing rode on a custom aluminum frame and had a “carbonium” hybrid carbon and titanium body resulting in a weight of just 2,400 pounds. So, I’ll take Engler’s word that the thing was stupid fast.

But I guess it wasn’t stupid fast enough because as the F.F edged closer to production, Engler decided to crank up the power to 1,100 HP. Now, I want to remind you that this is a vehicle capable of going 217 mph while you sit on a saddle without a seatbelt and nothing more than a little structure behind the seat to hold you in. There’s a handlebar to turn, but no leaning and oh yeah, in some places in the world you won’t even need to wear a helmet to drive, er, ride it.

Do you want to know just how long the Desat has been in development? As noted above, Top Gear reviewed one just last month and the publication notes that it drove a prototype that didn’t even have the advertised twin-turbo upgrade. Engler further says that the prototype hasn’t even been faster than 120 mph, either.

So, you can’t even buy a production Desat yet. Also, be sure to look at Top Gear’s photos because they illustrate how insane the whole thing looks. A Desat looks like a desecrated Audi R8, but I think you’ll be going so fast and holding on so hard you won’t have time to think about that.

Perhaps confusingly, Engler Automotive has announced the Desat’s evolution before the Desat itself even goes into series production. Meet the Engler V12, and if you thought the Desat was crazy, this is certifiably insane.

The Engler V12 starts underneath as the new car quad bike super thingy gets a carbon monocoque tub like a hypercar. Attached to it are chromoly-titanium tubular subframes and 3D printed titanium accessories. The suspension is equally fancy with forged aluminum alloy and titanium double wishbones, helical springs, and electronically controlled shocks. You also get 20-inch magnesium wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Stopping the show are Brembo six-pot calipers up front and four-pots in the rear.

All of this is driven by a V12 engine of unknown origin. In its base tune, this engine will make 700 HP, but the flagship will be the boosted 1,200 HP and 885 lb-ft of torque deathtrap. Engler won’t say where this engine comes from or how big it is, but does say it’ll be connected to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic weighing just 66 pounds. Engler says this will be the lightest transmission ever fitted to a road car.

The mention of weight is a bit fun because despite all of the exotic materials and claims of lightness, the Engler V12 is heavier than the Desat at 2,645 pounds. Still, Engler is claiming a top speed of 250 mph, which is just insane. Of course, all of these specs are projected and again, it bears noting that the Desat hasn’t even entered production yet nor has it even gone close to its estimated top speed.

As for why this even exists, Engler says:

“In 2020, one of my clients presented me with a challenge: ‘Create for me a unique Engler, one that only a few of us can possess – a creation even more extraordinary than the DESAT.’ Motivated by this task, I immediately sought out Stefan, the CEO of Valta Engineering, our trusted in-house development partner. Within a matter of weeks, the initial visualizations were transformed into reality. We discussed this project extensively in numerous meetings, always with the notion of ‘next in line, one day we should.’ However, it wasn’t until the summer of last year that a sudden realization struck us: it was no longer a question of ‘if,’ but rather ‘when, if not now, and who, if not us?

Just three months ago, this vehicle existed solely on paper.

In an era dominated by discussions of downsizing, reduced cylinder counts, disappearing engine displacements, and the rise of hybrid vehicles, we’ve chosen to take a different path. We proudly introduce the ENGLER V12.”.

Again, I feel the need to point out just how bonkers the prospect of this machine is. Right, so there are seriously fast motorcycles out there and dummy quick cars out there. The speed itself isn’t that surprising.

However, the hypercars that go 250 mph encapsulate their drivers in a bubble with harnesses and often some ridiculously strong racing-inspired structure. The riders of the motorcycles going that fast are tucked in and are leaning into turns. The prospective driver of a Engler V12 will be going hypercar and superbike fast but without a windshield, without leaning, and with little more than their muscles keeping them in place.

That sounds terrifying and maybe a bit arousing, like hooking your nipples up to one of those little machines designed to shock you. Of course, it’s supposed to be all luxurious, too, so the seats, and yes, there are two of them, are made out of the same leather covering Hermès bags. You also get two infotainment screens, one for you and your terrified passenger, complete with Apple CarPlay. You get all of that for the mouth-watering price of 1.2m Euros, or $1,322,580 at current exchange rates.

It’s also hard to say if you or I would ever see one of these in real life. I mean yes, Engler Automotive does have a prototype out there. Lots of influencers have driven it, too. However, the company is already moving on to its second product before its first product has even gone into serial production. That said, Engler says it has the capacity to build 10 vehicles a year and already has five pre-orders for the Engler V12.

I really hope it does go into production because the Engler V12 is equal parts death wish and thrill ride. It’s a bike that you can’t lean and a car that can’t protect you. That’s terrible! Yet, I’m drawn in. Hey, I just got a passport, and I need to take an international trip, just sayin’.

(Images: Engler Automotive)