Bugatti: W16 - the last of its kind 🎥
MASTERWORK The 8-liter W16 engine has been powering Bugatti's hypercars for two decades now. A brief look back at its history is also a declaration of love for the potent icon.
When Bugatti announced the technical specifications of the engine for the Veyron 16.4 in 2005 - 16 cylinders, 8 liters, 1001 hp - the manufacturer pushed the limits of what was technically feasible. Such acceleration figures were new: from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, top speed more than 400 km/h. The Veyron 16.4 became the world's first hypercar.
Special arrangement of the 16 cylinders
In March 2016, the Chiron arrived with a completely revised 8-liter W16 and an incredible 50 percent increase in power, thanks in large part to the four even larger turbochargers and dual injection.
With an output of first 1500 hp and later 1600 hp and a maximum torque of 1600 Nm, the W16 engine soared to further heights.
The idea for this engine came from engineering and management luminary Ferdinand Piëch in 1997. The unit, which is no larger than a V12 and weighs around 400 kilograms, owes its compactness to the special arrangement of the cylinders in a so-called W-shape. In fact, it's more like two VR8 blocks in a V arrangement.
Motor assembled by hand
The engine consists of more than 3500 individual parts, which are assembled by hand. Having ensured performance, the engineers turned their attention to smooth running and reliability.
Crucial to the fatigue strength of the W16 engine was the cooling system. A water cooling system with two circuits keeps the engine in the best temperature range under full load. A dry sump lubrication system for the engine and transmission ensures a reliable oil supply at all times.
Speed record with 490 km/h
From 2010, the W16 in the Veyron delivered 1200 hp, and in the same year the Super Sport achieved a speed record of 431 km/h as the fastest road-legal super sports car. The increase in power to initially 1500 hp and even to 1600 hp for the Chiron Super Sport and Centodieci required even larger turbochargers.
In 2019, the Chiron Super Sport 300+ became the first production car to surpass the 300-mile mark (304.773 mph or 490.484 km/h).
