Cosworth creates ‘most powerful engine’ yet for Bugatti's Tourbillon hypercar

The Northampton-based engine specialist has been working on the technology for Bugatti since 2021, when they were tasked to develop a high capacity, high revving V16 capable of producing 1000hp.

This particular engine configuration, Cosworth said, hasn’t been mass produced in the automotive industry since the 1930s, with only a handful created as prototypes for niche vehicles in recent years.

It took the company 13 months to transform its initial detailed designs into the first V16 engine running on a dyno at its Northampton headquarters.

The resulting product is a 8.35-litre engine that can rev to 9000rpm, first unveiled at Bugatti’s Tourbillion launch last week (June 20, 2024).

Cosworth elected for a cross-plane crank design with 90-degree bank angles and dry sump. Weighing just 252kg in total – lighter than the naturally aspirated Aston Martin 6.0-litre V12 – steps were made to optimise weight throughout the engine, including titanium connecting rods and a carbon fibre inlet plenum.

The overall length of the crankshaft is 900mm, made from a single billet, with a total engine length just shy of 1m – demonstrating the scale required to power this car.

In a statement, Cosworth’s MD of Powertrain, Bruce Wood said: “I think we all got goosebumps the first time we heard the roar of the Bugatti’s incredible V16 engine; it is a truly unique piece of machinery. Producing a V16, especially one as large as this 8.35 litre, is no easy feat. With the crank and camshafts measuring almost a metre long, we had to employ innovative design technology to overcome the torsional loads.

“The first thing that hits you when you see it is the sheer size of the engine – there is no escaping it. Yet we were able to use our experience to develop high tolerances within the design, thus reducing the mass and weight of the final product. When we heard it fire up on the dyno and reach maximum revs, we were astounded at the sound. The performance figures speak for themselves, and coupled with the hybrid powertrain, the experience of the Bugatti Tourbillon will be truly one of a kind.”