And it’s going to change the automotive industry in a big way.
The automotive industry is currently in the process of electrifying and downsizing everything, so imagine our surprise when Bugatti confirmed that the Chiron successor would equipped with a hybridized V16 engine. There have been rumors about what engine it would have for years, and the most apparent guesses were V8 or V10. Nobody expected the French brand to come out with 16 cylinders arranged in a vee. Who does that?
Not many automakers, that’s for sure. The only production V16 models were pre-WWII; the most recent V16 cars were either concepts or prototypes. If Bugatti manages to pull this off, it will be the only manufacturer to produce a post-WWII 16-cylinder production engine.
With the rest of the world downsizing, Bugatti will change the automotive landscape forever, which is a fitting tribute to the Veyron and the Chiron, both of which were also turning points in automotive history.
For this article, we’ll look at production cars and prototypes only for reasons that will become clear eventually.
V16 Production Cars
In the entire history of the automobile, there have only been three series production V16 cars, two of which are Cadillacs. (The Cizeta V16T doesn’t count as only 11 were made).
The first was the 1930 Cadillac Series 452 with a 45-degree 7.4-liter V16 producing 175 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque. Despite the massive engine and body made from old-school materials, this particular Caddy only weighed 5,300 pounds. It took 24 seconds to reach 60 mph, but it would keep going to 100 mph. It was a relative success in the high-end market, but the Great Depression ended it prematurely.
The Mormon Sixteen debuted in 1931 with an 8.0-liter V16, producing 200 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Only 400 of these beauties were sold, which still counts as a production run.
The final V16-powered car was the 1938 Cadillac Series 90. Following the Great Recession, it was time for another high-end model. This car had a 135-degree V16 with twin carburetors and dual fuel pumps. It’s the smallest of the three engines, displacing only 7.1 liters. It’s said that Cadillac went for smoothness more than anything else, and the engine produced 185 hp and 318 lb-ft of torque.
V16 Prototypes And Concept Cars
The modern V16 kicked off in 1988 with BMW. It was working on an experimental V16 engine that was tested in an E32 BMW 7 Series, known internally as ‘Project Goldfish.’ The engine wasn’t potent, producing only 402 hp and 452 lb-ft. The brass passed on the idea, but that wasn’t the end of this particular engine. Bentley toyed with the idea of offering this engine as an upgrade on the first-generation Mulsanne (1980 to 1992) but ultimately stuck with the 6.75-liter V8.
Mercedes-Benz heard of BMW’s V16 and needed to respond. Mercedes never confirmed this, but the engine was rumored to be an 8.0-liter W16 producing 680 hp.
The Cadillac Sixteen concept car debuted in 2003, sporting a 13.6-liter V16 engine producing 1,000 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. If Caddy could do that in 2003, imagine what Bugatti can do 20 years later. Cadillac wanted to use this engine in an earlier performance version of the Escalade but decided against it. Any car using this engine would have been prohibitively expensive. How do we know that? Because even the running prototypes were powered by V8s…
A year after the Cadillac Sixteen, BMW introduced the V16 again under the hood of the Rolls-Royce 100EX concept, which would eventually become the Drophead. The 9.0-liter V16 in the 100EX was developed by BMW using the existing V12. Rolls-Royce would stick with its own V12 when the Wraith debuted, although the 100EX did get a starring role in Johnny English Reborn.
Why Has Nobody Else Done It?
The simple answer is that it costs too much to produce and the customer would pay a hefty price to service it. Only one of the prototypes above made it into production but with fewer cylinders. Basically, you can get the same power output from a twin-turbocharged V12 or V8.
Rolls-Royce obviously went the V12 route, but when Cadillac started producing performance cars, it opted for a 6.2-liter supercharged V8. After BMW dropped the idea, Mercedes did the same. Both manufacturers would go on to create iconic V8 engines.
Apart from the obvious, there are also packaging concerns. If you look at the Cadillac Sixteen’s hood, you’ll see that a V16 requires a lot of room. When BMW was working on Project Goldfish, it didn’t have enough room under the hood, so the cooling system had to be moved to the trunk, which is why it had such massive intakes down the sides.
Why It Will Work For Bugatti
As mentioned above, previous V16 models were limited by cost and packaging. Bugatti doesn’t have either of these problems.
First, it caters exclusively to billionaires. A few years ago, Bugatti shared the profile of its average customer. They already own 84 cars, three planes, a yacht, and at least five politicians (We may have added that last one, but it’s a joke). Basically, they cater to the kind of people who wouldn’t bat an eyelid if the Chiron successor cost $10 million. Compared to their net worth, $10 million is a drop in the bucket.
Bugatti’s factory is also set up to create the zaniest creations a customer can imagine. The Chiron, Bolide, and Mistral are all built in the same place. Designing and building a car to house a lengthy V16 engine would be no problem.
As for the design of the car, we still don’t know. Bugatti officially stated that the vehicle will be unveiled in June. Considering the engine layout, expect the car to be long, low, wide, and classy.
What It Means For The Automotive Industry
Bugatti-Rimac is sending an important message to the world. By creating the ultimate electric hypercar from one brand and following it up with what will inevitably be the ultimate ICE car, it’s effectively stating that there is room for both in the future.
Mate Rimac is well-known for the leaps he made in the electric vehicle market. The Rimac Nevera is a stunning machine, as proved by the records it broke recently. Many expected him to use electricity to power the Chiron successor, but it’s worth remembering that he’s a gearhead just like us.
The company is stating that it knows electrification is the future but that internal combustion still has a valuable role to play. If it thought otherwise, it wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of designing a bespoke engine. There are at least three other engines it could have tapped into within the Volkswagen Group.
Most people will never own these cars, but they set the tone for the future and give other brands a goal to work toward. Actions speak louder than words, and by creating the largest gas-powered engine the modern world has ever seen, it’s clear Bugatti is not done with internal combustion just yet.
And we hope the rest of the automotive industry finds that as inspiring as we do.
