The W16 engine was first introduced in 2005, when Bugatti launched the Veyron. It produced over 1000 horsepower and allowed the creation of a car capable of breaking all records.
This was followed by the Bugatti Chiron, unveiled for the first time at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. With 1500 hp, it is capable of completing the sprint from 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and reaching a top speed of 420 km /h electronically limited.
This year the W16 engine was installed in the most radical Bugatti ever, the Divo. Limited to 40 units, all sold, it maintains the 1500 hp of the Bugatti Chiron and has a price of around 5 million euros.
Did you know that?
The Bugatti Chiron, equipped with a W16 engine with 1500 hp, has a speedometer that reads 500 km/h of maximum speed.
This engine goes down in history as an example of overcoming difficulties, a glorious combustion engine, which still survives even at a time when downsizing and electric motors invaded production lines.
Speaking to Australian website CarAdvice, Winkelmann confirmed that a new W16 engine will not be developed.
Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of BugattiThere won't be a new 16-cylinder engine, this will be the last of its kind. It's an amazing engine and we know there's a lot of excitement around it, we'd all like to have it forever, to keep developing it. But if we want to be at the forefront of technology, it's important to choose the right time to change.
Hybrid bugatti on the way?
For Bugatti, the most important thing is not to frustrate the expectations of the customer, who are looking for a very high standard of performance. With battery technology evolving very quickly, putting a battery pack in a Bugatti seems like the next step.Winkelmann has no doubts: “If battery weight is dropping dramatically and we can reduce emissions to an acceptable level, then a hybrid proposal is a good thing. But it has to be a credible solution for someone who is currently buying Bugattis.”
The owner of a Bugatti
In 2014 the French brand revealed that, on average, the owner of a Bugatti has a collection of 84 cars, three planes and at least one boat. By way of comparison, Bentley, despite the exclusivity of its model offer, has a customer who owns two cars on average.
horse war
One of the main reasons for this hybrid change is related to the need to offer an ever-increasing power, not only in terms of horsepower but in overall performance.
In this interview, Bugatti's CEO recalled the time he was ahead of Lamborghini, where he always defended that the key to success was the power-weight ratio: “I always believed that a kilo less was more important than an extra horse” .
According to Winkelmann, the search for more power means finding other ways to increase performance. “Unfortunately I believe that the race for more power is not over yet, but in my opinion, we could bet on different things…”
Founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti, the French brand from Molsheim is preparing to celebrate 110 years of existence. Its future promises to be electrified, when it is not yet known.