Bugatti simply launched a video and accompanying images of the Tourbillon’s wonderful, Cosworth-built, naturally aspirated V-16, and clearly, we’re poring over all of it. What jumped out at us is the V-16’s distinctive timing system. It is not like something we have ever seen in an automotive engine.

The picture of the entrance of the engine has a variety of particulars artfully obscured, however the timing mechanism jumps out. It is a mixture of chain and equipment drive, with a gear for every cylinder financial institution meshed collectively, and meshed with a gear on the finish of the crankshaft. The 2 gears meshed to the crankshaft gear have their very own smaller gear for a timing chain, which drives the camshafts.

So you have obtained two timing chains, one for every half of the engine.

Picture by: Bugatti

We reached out to each Bugatti and Cosworth to be taught a bit extra about why they’ve employed this technique, as a result of in any other case, we are able to solely speculate. My greatest educated guess is that having two chains have to be a option to fight the acute vibration and forces a 16-cylinder engine generates, however that is very a lot a guess, so take it with a giant grain of salt. Or perhaps there’s only a helpful simplicity and/or friction discount profit by having two timing chains. 

Picture by: Dean Smith / Motor1

The gear drive system of the Cosworth GMA V-12, as a degree of comparability.

Racing engines are totally gear pushed, which ensures most reliability and high-revving efficiency, however it’s a way more sophisticated setup, and a loud one too. Cosworth’s V-12s for Aston Martin and Gordon Murray Automotive are each gear pushed, however maybe Bugatti did not need the related noise for its V-16. It does, nevertheless, seem that the oil pump is gear pushed, although. 

One other element that stands out are the vibration damper, which is definitely vital as a result of the crankshaft for the Tourbillon is over 3 ft lengthy. The camshaft variators—which change the valve timing—are attention-grabbing, too. For starters, they look like the identical half used within the Audi S4’s 3.0-liter V-6, although the VW AG marking on them has been crossed out. The numbers on the variators do not correspond to any present half, however each the items on the Bugatti and the VW/Audi half have HYT DE and “Made In Germany” embossments.

Additionally of notice, the 2 in-focus variators are each labeled “Consumption RH.” We doubt Cosworth made a mistake right here, however as an alternative, this have to be a option to obscure a number of the engine’s secrets and techniques whereas nonetheless giving us cool photos. So it is not price taking place the rabbit gap utterly.

Picture by: Bugatti

The camshafts have only one profile per valve, so it seems this engine solely makes use of variable valve timing, not carry. Because the Tourbillon has a hybrid system that may present on the spot, low-end punch, we suspect variable carry is an pointless complexity: Simply tune the engine for high-rpm efficiency and let the hybrid system care for any torque gaps. And is it simply us, or do these valve stems look tiny? 

In Bugatti’s images, there is a neat take a look at a three-cylinder check mule on the Cosworth dyno. Cosworth at all times builds a three-cylinder mule to check the basics of an engine earlier than constructing full-sized prototypes. In dyno photographs of the V-16, we get an excellent take a look at the beautiful carbon-fiber consumption plenum, with its 4 throttle our bodies that look like generic Bosch items, although any half numbers are out of focus.

The video is cool, particularly as a result of we get to listen to the V-16 on the dyno because it rips to its 9,500 rpm redline prefer it’s a NASCAR Cup automotive. It is an engine not like anything, and never merely due to its spectacular cylinder rely.

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