Zenvo Mjølner: The World’s Most Powerful V12 Aimed to Please Regulators Too
Danish boutique manufacturer Zenvo is developing what it claims will be the most powerful production V12 combustion engine in the world — at a time when most of the industry is preparing to bury the internal combustion era. The project is named “Mjølner,” after Norse mythology’s hammer, with the goal of creating a 1,250-horsepower unit capable of revving to 9,800 rpm while meeting global emissions regulations.
The achievement is being pursued in partnership with MAHLE Powertrain, a seasoned yet traditionally conservative engineering house that has supported numerous European carmakers. Through MAHLE, the project gains “decades of experience” and “proven methodologies” — phrases the press release alternates with praise for “thinking outside the box.”
Zenvo insists the Mjølner powerplant is not merely a showpiece for brute force, but part of a state-of-the-art hybrid system. The aim is to deliver not just raw power, but also drivability and usability, supposedly without compromise. What exactly a “no-compromise” 1,250-horsepower V12 means in everyday traffic remains hazy. Equally unclear is how such a creation “meets global emissions standards over the engine’s full lifecycle,” especially as European CO₂ targets tighten and US interest shifts steadily toward electric rather than hypercars.
The build process can be followed through Zenvo’s YouTube documentary series, which promises “a unique behind-the-scenes view” but mostly shows surprisingly quiet workspaces, engineers following standard routines, and plenty of handheld camera shots peering between pipes and cables.
The Aurora — the car for which this engine is being designed — is slated to enter production in 2026. Until then, the Zenvo–MAHLE collaboration stands as a reminder that even in the twilight of combustion, there are still devotees unwilling to give up complexity, noise and fuel consumption. And perhaps that is the point: Mjølner may not be future-proof, but it is certainly a remarkable anachronism.
