Italy has produced some truly amazing supercars over the years. One mythical manufacturer has created an engine that has changed the automotive industry forever. With the world moving ever closer to the end of the traditional internal combustion engine, the large, super-charged engines of the past will become less and less commonplace. The regulations of emissions have forced the automotive manufacturers of the world to begin exploring other options for power. The inevitable move towards the electrification of our cars has meant that this iconic engine will be no more.
What does the engine of the future look like for the automotive sector?
The electrification of the automotive sector has meant that many companies have been forced to design and manufacture all-new engines that they can use in the latest generations of their best-selling vehicles. Companies like BMW, Hyundai, and even Mercedes now offer electric versions or stand-alone EVs for their customers to consider. The EV has grown in popularity, especially with the younger generation of automotive enthusiasts.
The history of the traditional internal combustion engine has been long and prosperous. The gasoline-powered engine has propelled the standard of living for the human race beyond previously thought possible. One can only imagine what the icons of yesteryear would think of the speeds that modern-day supercars are capable of.
The engine revolution has meant that more and more companies have committed to the future. Major manufacturers have stated their plans to go carbon-neutral at some point in the next decade. So bit by bit, the automotive sector is moving towards the electrification of its cars and leaving its flagship engines that have served it so well behind.
Which Italian car manufacturer is leaving the traditional ICE engine behind?
With Ferrari opening a new factory in Italy purely dedicated to making their new electric vehicles and their components, Italy has finally accepted that it needs to embrace the electric revolution taking place in the automotive sector. When we consider the regulatory environments around the world, the move towards the alternatively powered engine was inevitable.
Bugatti has now stated that their iconic W16 engine, which has fueled their incredible, record-breaking speeds and success, will be coming to an end soon. The engine that has powered their iconic models, such as the Veyron, Chiron, and lastly the Mistral, will no longer be manufactured. They will move towards a V-16 engine that works in tandem with three electric motors to power their new hypercar. The Tourbillon.
The Bugatti Mistral is the world’s fastest drop-top and will be the last car to feature the mythical W16 engine that defined the company and their cars. The new strategy for building cars comes from the new CEO, Mate Rimac. Bugatti was taken over by Rimac after it was let go by the previous owners, Volkswagen. VW has its own plans to challenge the market. The new V16-powered Tourbillon hypercar will be the first in their electric pursuits.
Will we ever see an engine like Bugatti’s famous W16 engine ever again?
The answer to that question is, sadly, no. It is most unlikely that we will ever see such an iconic, game-changing engine like Bugatti’s monstrous W16. It was two V8s stuck together in an unholy alliance of power and design. But alas, that will become a thing of the past as the world seeks a future without the gasoline-powered cars of the past. Bugatti has an iconic reputation in the automotive industry spanning back over a hundred years to 1909 when the company was founded by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. We can only speculate what their new engine will deliver, but we will miss that iconic W16 engine of the past.
