Bugatti announced plans Thursday morning to replace its flagship quad-turbo W16 engine with a new V16 hybrid powertrain. The company released a short audio clip alongside the announcement explaining what the engine will look like, and now, thanks to Bugatti-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac, we can take some extended behind-the-scenes photos of the engine’s development. factory.
The Croatian CEO shared a handful of photos on Facebook Thursday afternoon showing the development of the V16 engine, including photos of the block, crankshaft and pistons.
While the V16 may be new to us, it’s been in the works for at least 14 months, according to Rimac. The CEO claims that these photos were taken in November 2022 and that the company was already carrying out engine tests on test stands at the time.
“It was very difficult to remain silent about such an astonishing development,” Rimac said on Facebook. “And there are many more surprises like this waiting for us with the rest of the car! I’m incredibly proud of what the team has managed to achieve and not go crazy with me over the last few years.”
Aside from the V16 hybrid powertrain, we don’t know much about Bugatti’s upcoming hypercar. It will be the first entirely new product launched by the brand since Rimac and Porsche’s takeover of Bugatti in 2021, which saw Rimac take a 55% stake, while Porsche claimed the remaining 45%.
With the V16’s development so far, we may not have to wait much longer to see what kind of vehicle it will call home. The internal combustion engine is far from dead. Color us with enthusiasm.
