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An unusual sixteen-cylinder piston engine adopted by Bugatti in the legendary Veyron and Chiron models.

Let’s first take a moment to appreciate the Bugatti Chiron; the $3 million hypercar isn't just the ultimate Bugatti, but arguably the ultimate sports car as well. If you can know a car by the company it keeps, then you can appreciate Chiron's 'ultimate' status, since legendary models like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Ford GT, Lotus Evija, and Lamborghini Aventador all tag behind Chiron, and in that order too.

We chose to appreciate the Chiron because all its models are propelled by the beastly 8.0-liter W16 (16-cylinder) engine that, with the help of four turbochargers, generates a frightening 1,500 horsepower and 1,800 pound-force feet of torque, with an almost linear power output between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm. Bugatti describes Chiron’s powerplant as groundbreaking engineering, and we can't help but agree.

Unveiled for the first time in 2016 to take over from the similarly powerful Veyron, Chiron has birthed several special editions, including the 300-mph Super Sport 300+. Chiron may be Bugatti’s flotilla leader, but it isn't the only Bugatti equipped with the incredible W16 engine, as it also powers the Veyron.

That brings us fully to this overwhelming piece of automotive engineering. The Bugatti W16 Engine is a quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder mill of enormous power made for Bugatti high-performance luxury sports cars since 2005. Let's dig in, and while at it, subscribe to HotCars Premium to see the most unusual manufacturer approaches to engine design.

Related: Bugatti Veyron Has Actually Increased In Value Since Being Discontinued

You might be surprised to learn that Volkswagen Group is responsible for the design and development of the monstrous Bugatti W16 engine. When we say ‘monstrous,’ we mean just that. It’s why the Chiron, with its W16 powerplant, guzzles gas with reckless abandon.

The Bugatti brand is currently part of Bugatti Rimac. Although Bugatti left Volkswagen Group to Join Rimac Automobili in 2001, Bugatti cars are still assembled at Molsheim, France, and the formidable VW-made W16 engine remains at the heart of its supercars.

The ‘W’ in ‘W16’ represents how the sixteen cylinders are arranged in four banks in a unique W configuration. The mill has been subjected to several reconfigurations to squeeze more horsepower out of the monster since its first 2005 appearance in the Veyron.

The W16 has never been a slacker, the monstrous engine weighs a massive 882 lb, and it made its debut in 2005 by blessing the Bugatti Veyron with a piping 1000 horsepower and 245 mph top speed, effectively making Veyron the fastest production car in the world at the time.

With several revisions over the years, the W16 is stronger, better, and faster. Currently, the street-legal Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ is the world’s fastest sports car, and it's fitted with the most powerful rendition of the W16, generating 1,578 horses and a 304 mph top speed.

While the Chiron Super Sports 300+ is the cheetah, the limited-edition Bugatti Centodieci remains the most powerful. It is propelled by the retuned 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 to generate 1,600 horsepower. But that’s okay. After all, Centodieci is a memorial of the epochal EB110, with just ten of them produced. Ultimately, every Bugatti is memorable, and the iconic W16 engine has had seventeen years of dominance.

Related: Qatari Sheikh Shows Off Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ In London

The Bugatti 8.0-liter Quad-Turbo W16 engine has evolved over the years. Where the Veyron Super Sports made good with 1,183 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque, the Chiron Super Sports 300+ generates 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque. The designers were able to achieve this 25% jump in power by utilizing bigger turbos to increase pressure boost.

To address turbo lag, there’s a newly developed sequential setup where two smaller turbos work at engine speeds of up to 3,800 rpm before handing over to two bigger units. As adapted in the Chiron, the mill peaks at 2,000 rpm and maintains it to 6,000 rpm.

Something else to worry about is the weight. So, Bugatti turned to titanium and carbon fiber lightweight materials for parts of the engine like the intake tube, charge air system, and chain housing. It utilizes 32 fuel injectors (amounting to 60,000 liters of air per minute pumped through the engine) and complex cooling systems to match the raised charge pressure. This also translates to 800 liters of water per minute pumped through the engine.

The titanium exhaust system is fully insulated and features four pre-converters and two main catalytic converters considerably larger than predecessors like the Veyron. Each is approximately six times the size of an average car’s catalytic converter.

Sadly, the end is near for the famed 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine. It’s inevitable in this age of migration to electric powertrain. Former Bugatti CEO, Stephan Winkelmann confirmed the latest W16 is the end of the line with no plans of revival in the future, but gearheads can take solace in a rumored high-performance hybrid powerplant that Bugatti plans to continue the legacies left behind by the W16.

Philip Uwaoma, this bearded black male from Nigeria, is fast approaching two million words in articles published on various websites, including toylist.com, rehabaid.com, and autoquarterly.com. After not getting credit for his work on Auto Quarterly, Philip is now convinced that ghostwriting sucks. He has no dog, no wife- yet- and he loves Rolls Royce a little too much.