Sweet 16
To paraphrase an oft-used maxim, ‘Sometimes, there ain’t no substitute for cylinders’. Throughout automotive history, four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines have been the norm for production cars, with 12-cylinder engines being on the fringe of high-end performance and/or luxury-car engineering.
But, occasionally, even the might of a big-block V8 or large-capacity V12 wasn’t quite enough to satisfy a car manufacturer’s desire to create something outrageously powerful – or simply to go one better than its rival.
So here, in all their inestimable glory, are 16 road, race and concept cars that all boast 16-cylinder engines, presented in chronological order, plus a brief explanation about their two main configurations.
Double eight
A majority of 16-pot engines have their cylinder banks configured in a vee formation, normally separated by an optimal 45 degrees.
Each bank of eight cylinders is effectively a straight-eight and, much like the two straight-six banks of a V12, has an inherent dynamic balance, making a V16 exceptionally smooth-running.
The biggest drawback with a V16 engine is its dimensions, which in turn require a car of generous proportions to accommodate it. Along with, of course, its insatiable thirst.
Four by four
The Volkswagen Group is the only manufacturer of note to have mastered the W-configuration engine with eight, 12 and, in this case, 16 cylinders.
Laid out in four banks, each with four cylinders, the W16 is effectively two, narrow-angle, 90-degree V8s operating from a common crankshaft.
Like the V16, prodigious thirst remains the engine’s bugbear, but its W-configuration makes it more compact, lending its host car dynamic and packaging advantages.
1. 1929 Maserati Tipo V4
Alfa Romeo was one of the car makers to experiment with 16-cylinder engines, trialling the first such unit in its Tipo V4 racing car.
Comprising two eight-cylinder 26B engines working off a common crankshaft, each bank was supercharged, generating a total output of 305bhp from the 4-litre unit.
Performance was impressive by the standards of the day, the Tipo V4 achieving a top speed of more than 160mph.
2. 1930 Cadillac Series 452
Keen to steal a march over arch-rival Packard, with its V12-engined range-topper, Cadillac launched its Series 452-A V16 flagship model to up the ante.
With its Owen Nacker-designed engine comprising two straight-eight Buick units sharing a common crankshaft, the 452’s name derived from its overall cubic-inch displacement (equal to 7.4 litres).
The V16 engine bestowed the 452 with exceptional refinement, yet was still capable of powering the car to more than 100mph.
GM’s legendary designer, Harley Earl, was responsible for the 452’s styling, which helped position Cadillac in the bespoke-luxury market.
3. 1931 Marmon Sixteen
Equipped with another Nacker-designed V16 engine, once again using a single crankshaft and overhead-valve arrangement, the Marmon Sixteen was the pinnacle of American automotive excess.
Weighing in at a profligate 2177kg (4800lb), the Sixteen required an even larger 8-litre V16 to match its rival Cadillac 452’s 100mph-plus top speed.
The Sixteen was made for three years in small numbers, and available as a saloon, coupé and convertible.
4. 1932 Peerless V16
The Peerless V16 monster never reached production. Initially showcased as a prototype in 1931 for the following model year, the car maker commenced build of two more coupés, only to be scuppered by a sharp drop in sales following the Great Depression.
Very similar in design to Marmon’s V16, the 7.6-litre unit from Peerless was said to produce 175bhp and 320lb ft of torque, once again powering the Murphy-bodied car to 100mph.
Alas, the V16 was the company’s swansong. After prohibition was repealed two years later, Peerless switched to brewing alcoholic beverages.
5. 1933 Auto Union Type A-C
The product of a state-sponsored race programme, Auto Union’s mid-engined, 16-cylinder Grand Prix car was developed by none other than Ferdinand Porsche.
The Auto Union evolved through four iterations – designated ‘A’ to ‘C’ – before the outbreak of war, with power of at least 295bhp from its 6-litre V16 engine. (A Type D with a supercharged V12 was the final version.)
Capable of up to 199mph when fitted with a streamlined body and enclosed cockpit, the Auto Union won numerous races in the European Championship.
6. 1938 Alfa Romeo Tipo 316
Using its 12C racing car’s platform, Alfa Romeo campaigned the V16 Tipo 316 in the 1938 European Championship. Its best result was a second-place finish in the Grand Prix of Italy.
However, despite its 4.1-litre engine’s 212bhp output (and 7500rpm redline!), as well as its 162mph top speed, it still couldn’t compete with the mighty Auto Union, which had by this time ditched its V16 engine in favour of a supercharged V12.
7. 1938 Cadillac Series 90
Cadillac’s Series 90 was a follow-up model to the 1930 452, which used a second-generation V16 engine, now with a flathead design and its cylinder banks separated by a 135-degree angle, with twin carburettors and fuel pumps.
Performance of the Series 90 was exceptional by the standards of the day, its 7.1-litre V16 engine still managing a 90mph top speed, despite the car weighing a colossal 2456kg (5415lb).
Although the Series 90’s V16 was more refined than in the 452 model, it never matched the earlier car’s sales, with marginally more than 500 being built before production ended in 1940.
8. 1951 BRM P15
BRM’s ambitious post-war race programme was led by the V16-powered P15. In order to comply with the new Formula One regulations, the engine could displace no more than 1.5 litres and had to be supercharged.
BRM’s solution relied upon its engine using a twin centrifugal supercharger, boosting the P15’s maximum power to c525bhp and giving it a 170mph potential.
However, P15s only started one event in 1951, finishing fifth and seventh. The following year, the FIA reverted to Formula Two regulations for the cars, with which the P15 did not comply, and the project was abandoned.
Continuation car pictured
9. 1988 BMW 750iL ‘Goldfisch’
BMW’s Project Goldfisch started with an E32-generation 750iL model and grafted an extra two cylinders to each of its existing M70 V12 engine’s cylinder banks to create a 16-pot über-saloon.
In order to accommodate the V16’s extra length, the car’s cooling pack was moved to the boot, with requisite cooling ducts built into the rear wings.
BMW ultimately passed on developing the project any further, and its 6.7-litre engine was never productionised.
10. 1995 Jimenez Novia
The Jimenez Novia was one man’s tribute to the legendary Porsche 917 sports car.
Frenchman Ramon Jimenez handbuilt the car, which was powered by an entirely bespoke 4.1-litre W16 engine built up from four Yamaha FZR1000 motorcycle powerplants.
Producing c560bhp, the mid-engined one-off achieved a verified top speed of 236mph.
But despite ambitious plans to enter the car in the Le Mans 24-hour enduro, and commence series production, financial difficulties finally scuppered the project.
11. 2003 Cadillac Sixteen
Inspired by its pre-war V16 model, Cadillac’s Sixteen concept eschewed any notion of production viability, and effectively presented a 21st-century version of GM’s ‘dream cars’ of yore.
Riding on 24in polished aluminium wheels, the 5.7m-long Sixteen was powered by a bespoke 13.6-litre V16 engine producing 986bhp (1000hp) and 1000lb ft of torque.
‘Displacement on Demand’ tech meant that either eight or 12 of the engine’s cylinders could be shut down when output wasn’t needed, meaning it could achieve a relatively frugal 16.65mpg under normal running.
12. 2004 Rolls-Royce 100EX
To celebrate its centenary, Rolls-Royce unveiled the lavish 100EX, an open-top, four-seat, two-door experimental vehicle designed to evaluate new systems, components and features.
Based around the then-new Phantom model’s aluminium spaceframe, the 100EX was powered by a 9-litre, 64-valve engine delivering drive to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Typically, Rolls-Royce remained coy about the origins of the engine, though output was quoted as 759bhp at 5900rpm, and a prodigious 1100lb ft of torque at just 2900rpm.
13. 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
The mighty Veyron was to be VW Group chief Ferdinand Piëch’s tour de force.
His brief to Bugatti’s engineers was simple: create a 1000hp (986bhp) hypercar capable of 250mph, and we’ll sell it for €1m.
The Veyron’s development was tortuous, its W16 engine – the marriage of cylinder banks from two VW narrow-angled VR8 engines on to a single crankshaft – requiring 10 radiators to keep it cool.
But it was worth it: with eight litres, four turbochargers and an output, as requested, of 986bhp (1000hp), the Veyron powered its way to 253mph, taking the ‘world’s fastest production car’ mantle from the McLaren F1.
14. 2016 Bugatti Chiron
Tasked with replacing the Veyron, Bugatti’s engineers knew that its successor, the Chiron, needed to raise the performance bar even higher – no mean feat.
Once again using the 8-litre W16 engine, Bugatti redesigned its inlet manifold and fuel-injection system, and installed four larger and more powerful turbochargers.
Along with other myriad upgrades, the new Chiron was unveiled at the Geneva show with a faintly ridiculous output of 1479bhp (1500hp).
15. 2017 Devel Sixteen
UAE-based Devel Motors claimed in 2017 that its Sixteen would be the world’s fastest production car, with a top speed of 364mph and 0-60mph acceleration of 1.6 secs.
The range-topper was set to have a quad-turbo, 12.3-litre V16 with 4939bhp and 3757lb ft torque.
However, to date, only one V8-powered Sixteen has been produced.
16. 2019 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
Our parting 16-cylinder shot comes once again from Bugatti. As if the ‘standard’ Chiron wasn’t quite potent enough, along comes its Super Sport 300+ sibling.
Developed by Bugatti in conjunction with Michelin and engineering firm Dallara, the Super Sport 300+ adopted a 9.8in longer rear end and a power boost from its quad-turbocharged W16 engine to 1578bhp.
In 2019, Le Mans-winning driver Andy Wallace drove the car to a verified 304.77mph at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track.
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