Video: The Bugatti Veyron’s W16 Engine On The Assembly Line

The Bugatti Veyron’s 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbocharged engine is an engineering marvel; it provides up to 1,200 horsepower depending upon vehicle model, and is the equivalent of two narrow-angle V8 engines coupled together. It uses four valves per cylinder for a total of 64 valves, and a VR8 configuration that permits each of the two overhead camshafts on each side to drive the valves on two banks of cylinders – there are four camshafts in total. The monstrous engine propels the vehicle to a top speed over 267 mph with a 0-100 km/h (0-62.1mph) figure as low as 2.2 seconds. The Veyron is considered to be the fastest production car in the world according to Guinness World Records.

In this video, we get a chance to follow one of these engines down the production line during the assembly process, from bare block to completed bullet.

Each hand-built engine gets the white-glove treatment during the process, and the technicians make use of computer-aided technology to ensure that the fasteners are properly tightened during each step – with 32 connecting rod fasteners on deck, the computer technology provides assistance as the technician follows the torque sequence.

It doesn’t appear that speed is of the essence here; rather, it is more important that each step is followed down to the most minute detail to ensure that the engine is assembled properly the very first time. There’s even a chance to see some of the details of the engine’s cold-test process before vehicle installation.

There’s no music, and it’s not a flashy video, but it does give a neat look behind the scenes at the creation of one of the most powerful passenger car engines ever produced.