8.0-Liter W16: After Powering 8 Models In 21 Years, Bugatti’s Iconic Engine Retires

Earlier this month, Bugatti delivered the 99th and final example of the W16 Mistral, dubbed ‘The Last of Its Kind.’ This final handover also marked the retirement of the legendary W16 engine, which has since been replaced by the Tourbillon’s new hybrid V16 powerplant.

Before its retirement, Bugatti’s quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine reigned over the automotive world for nearly two decades, powering the brand’s hyper sports cars into the history books as the world’s only 16-cylinder engine.

The idea first arose in 1997 when Ferdinand Piëch—the legendary engineer and boss of the Volkswagen Group—drew an 18-cylinder engine on an envelope while traveling on the Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan.

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Weighing about 961 pounds (436 kg), Bugatti’s W16 is a sixteen-cylinder piston engine featuring four banks of four cylinders in a W configuration. It has a displacement of 8.0 liters (488 cubic inches) and utilizes four turbochargers.

This unique masterpiece of engineering first made its debut in the 2005 Veyron 16.4 with 1,001 PS, before culminating in the Chiron Super Sport 300+, which helped break the 300 mph barrier at exactly 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) in 2019.

Since 2005, Bugatti’s iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine has powered eight distinct production models, including the Veyron, Chiron, Divo, Centodieci, one-off La Voiture Noire, Bolide, Brouillard Coupe and W16 Mistral. Additionally, it has served as the powerhouse for concept cars like the 16C Galibier and the Vision Gran Turismo.

The most powerful version of this 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine was installed in the $4.6 million Bugatti Bolide, generating a staggering 1,825 horsepower (1,850 PS) and 1,849 Nm (1,364 lb-ft) of torque.

• See Also : The Last Of Its Kind : The Final Bugatti Mistral Has Been Built, Marking The End Of W16 Engine