Bugatti is going to mount that V16 in the front

There will be another model in which Bugatti will place the V16 in the front.

We never thought the Veyron would be the start of a long line of hypercars. The car that more or less created this segment was succeeded by the Chiron, which followed the Veyron’s recipe exactly. So an enormously luxurious and insanely fast sixteen-cylinder hypercar. Well, that would be the very last one, but nothing could be further from the truth. This week Bugatti unveiled the Tourbillon, another two-ton, super-luxury sixteen-cylinder hypercar.

The special thing is the engine, a V16 instead of a W16. Volkswagen’s upper management initially wanted a fully electric Chiron successor, but EV pioneer Mate Rimac put a stop to that. According to the EV specialist, a combustion engine was an essential part of the experience.

But yes, that W16 quad-turbo unit was getting old, so they turned to Cosworth. Yes, that V16 engine is not from Volkswagen, but from Cosworth. That’s not a problem, Gordon Murray’s hypercars also have a Cosworth engine under the hood.

Bugatti with V16 in the front!

A V16 is less wide and high than a W16, but considerably longer. That would mean that it would be difficult to install the engine in another type of car, but nothing could be further from the truth. According to Bugatti honcho Frank Heyl, it is indeed possible. Autocar asked him whether the V16 also fits in a car where the engine is located in the front.

And it turns out: that is possible. It is possible to ‘move some parts’ and then the V16 can also be located in the front of a car with a long nose. Bugatti has been working on this for quite some time now. Romano Artioli already wanted it in the early 1990s with the EB 108 with V12. When Bugatti was acquired by Volkswagen, it initially showed front-engine concepts.

The EB118 had a 6.3 W18 in the front, but was a rush job in terms of design. VW had just bought Bugatti and Girgietto Giugiaro had to design a car during lunch that had to be on display at a motor show a week later.

Not the first time

He was able to make a little more time for the Bugatti EB218 and it showed. it was a super luxury sedan that went beyond a Rolls-Royce or Bentley.

Then it remained quiet around a Bugatti with the engine in the nose, until the Galibier Concept saw the light of day. This car had the W16 from the Veyron in the front. The car seemed to make it to the production stage, but in the end the High Omes of Volkswagen thought the Galibier was ‘not beautiful’ enough.

Volkswagen tried it again with the Bugatti Rembrandt, a project for a large luxury Gran Tourer with the engine in the front. This car would ultimately never be shown, because dieselgate threw a spanner in the works (pun intended).

The reason to consider a luxury model is that this way Bugatti can spread the costs of the V16 over several models. A Bugatti with an extremely powerful combustion engine in the front also fits the brand.

Comments

1. SvenB say

   Go ahead, I already have my check ready.
   (For the scale model)

2. rollingstoned say

   “The car that more or less created this segment…”

   That honor rather belongs to the McLaren F1.

3. Dutchdriftking say

   A Gemera from Bugatti? I’d like to see it. I’m curious to know what Christian thinks of the new Bugatti. The man has great respect for Pagani, for example, and I can imagine that he can appreciate Bugatti’s new path under Rimac.

   • JamesBond007 say

     Well, to give you an idea 😉
     Here is a video in which Christian, together with Mate Rimac + Gorden Murray AND John Hennesey, spar with each other in a room about cars and their vision. Very interesting video.

4. William say

   Just build something like the Cullinan with a V16 in the front and you’re done. There is a demand for that, not for misshapen sedans.