A modern V-16 car is about to grace the world, thanks to Bugatti.
The French performance marque on Thursday announced its new hypercar to replace the Chiron will debut in June and pack a V-16 engine augmented by a hybrid system. Production is due to start around 2026.
A teaser photo and accompanying video show what appears to be an intake cover crafted from carbon fiber but with a plate on top styled like the design used on classic V-8 and V-12 engines, including the engine fitted to the Bugatti EB110. In the photo, V-16 is embossed on the intake cover, indicating a V-16 will replace the Chiron's W-16. The video also provides the powertrain's soundtrack, which has a higher pitch than the Chiron's W-16 engine's deep rumble.
No further details were announced, though Bugatti is expected to stick with a mid-engine configuration. The new hypercar will also likely feature a bespoke carbon-fiber monocoque, just like the Chiron and its Veyron predecessor.
Mate Rimac, who heads Bugatti's Bugatti Rimac parent company, said in 2022 that the next Bugatti hypercar would be a hybrid, and that people would be surprised by what he was planning given he is the founder of Rimac Group, one of the leading suppliers of electric vehicle technology.
Rimac has also previously said Bugattis will be differentiated from Rimac-branded electric hypercars by focusing on things like craftsmanship, analog dials, and beautiful design, while Rimac hypercars will continue down the more modern route by adopting the latest technologies wherever possible.
Responsible for the design of the new car is Achim Anscheidt. He led Bugatti design for the past two decades but finally stepped down last year after signing off on the new hypercar. Anscheidt wanted to retire earlier but Rimac convinced him to stay on and help finalize the design of the new hypercar.
For obvious reasons, there haven't been many V-16 cars built, especially after the second world war. Some standouts include the Cizeta V16T of the 1990s, multiple pre-war Cadillacs including 1937's V16 Hartmann Cabriolet, and some pre-war Auto Union race cars.
