W16 is dead, long live V16. Having powered Molsheim's outrageously over-the-top production cars for over two decades, Bugatti's infamous W16 engine has now ceased production. The last Mistral rolled off the line a couple of months ago officially closing the door on the motor that powered the Veyron and Chiron.

Usually that would be the end of the engine story. Instead, Bugatti has gone out of its way to do what seems to be practically impossible in today's car world: it has replaced its V16 engine with another V16 engine. Co-developed with Cosworth, Bugatti's naturally-aspirated 8.3-litre V16 has an output of 1,000hp and a maximum rev limit of 9,000rpm.

Creating the V16 is one thing though. The difficult part is making it sound exactly how Bugatti desires whilst adhering to what is becoming an ever stricter and more limiting noise regulation across the world. A video that was recently released and I discovered this week showcases just what it has taken to give this brand new motor an altogether unique voice without resorting to fake, electronically stimulated sounds pumped through speakers.

Pure V16 Engine Sound

This is certainly not just engineers bunging in a monstrous exhaust (with up to eight tips) and leaving it at that. Thousands of intake and exhaust simulation were run to balance the refinement, character, and performance. That is why it was crucial the Tourbillon could also be relatively refined to use as a daily driver with this giant engine barely doing anything.

But step on it, and it absolutely needs to communicate exactly whats happening internally. This is not the clean sounding engine available today but why that is.

"It has never been that a clean sound coming out of our engine, we always have a dirty rough character, this is why this is part of this important point,"

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3

But while Bugatti wants that brutal roar from this behemoth they also dont want the engine to be too noisy for it to actually pass homologation tests. The relevant one has a maximum of 72 decibels, but passing is not as simple as you might think taking it for a thrash on test track. These tests measure the combined noise of the whole vehicle, so everything contributes, the tires, the bodywork and even aerodynamic additions to the car itself. 

These may even contribute some noise on the all new Tourbillon. 

Even weather plays a role, with ambient temperature and wind speed requiring certain limits. A strong wind can throw the whole run off invalidating the noise figure.

Motor1's Take: It's hard to deny there's something wonderfully irrational about Bugatti spending years on a completely bespoke engine that a majority of manufacturers wouldn't even consider justifying today. It's not just a technical exercise but a sign to the uber-rich that their needs simply cannot be replicated with something powered by electricity.

However, with Bugatti sold out well until 2029, this V16 bet already appears to be worth it.

Written by

Lakshya