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A V16 engine is a sixteen-cylinder
piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common feat ...
where two banks of eight cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V16 engines are less common than engines with fewer cylinders, such as V8 and V12 engines. Each bank of a V16 engine can be thought of as a
straight-8 The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary eng ...
, a design that can be inherently balanced. Most V16 engines have a 45° bank angle. The first use of a V16 engine was in the 1910
Antoinette VII The Antoinette VII was an early French aircraft, flown in 1909. History The VII was a further development of the Antoinette IV, with increased engine power and using a wing warping system implemented by Levavasseur for the Antoinette V in plac ...
experimental aircraft, followed by several cars in the 1930s. Today, the most common applications for V16 engines are railroad locomotives, marine craft, and stationary power generators.


Automotive applications


Production cars

The first production car to use a V16 engine was the
Cadillac V-16 The Cadillac V-16 (also known as the Cadillac Sixteen) was Cadillac's top-of-the-line model from its January 1930 launch until 1940. The V16 powered car was a first in the United States, both extremely expensive and exclusive, with every chassis ...
, introduced in January 1930. The
Cadillac V16 engine The Cadillac V16 engine was a type of automobile engine produced in the 1930s. Cadillac produced two of only three production, gasoline-fueled V16 engine models in history. Both were used in the Cadillac V-16 automobile, the first from 1930 unti ...
was initially produced with a displacement of ,
OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...
and a V-angle of 45 degrees. For the 1938 Series 90, the engine was revised to a displacement of , a flathead valvetrain and a V-angle of 135 degrees (the latter in order to achieve a lower cowl height). This 431 cu. in. version produced as much power as its immediate predecessor while being far less complex, had a stiffer crankshaft that aided durability and smoothness, and even had an external oil filter, a rarity for any car at any price in those days. The
Marmon Motor Car Company Marmon Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer founded by Howard Carpenter Marmon and owned by Nordyke Marmon & Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, US. It produced luxury automobiles from 1902 to 1933. It was established in 19 ...
actually began development of a V16 engine in 1927 (earlier than Cadillac). Its development program took longer, however, and the ''Marmon Sixteen'' was released in 1931. This engine had a V-angle of 45 degrees, used pressed steel
cylinder liner In a reciprocating engine, the cylinder is the space in which a piston travels. The inner surface of the cylinder is formed from either a thin metallic liner (also called "sleeve") or a surface coating applied to the engine block. A piston is se ...
s and was constructed mostly of aluminium. Only 400 Marmon Sixteens were produced between 1931 and 1933. In 1991, the
Cizeta-Moroder V16T The Cizeta-Moroder V16T, now known as just the Cizeta V16T, is an Italian sports car (built from 1991 to 1995) developed by automotive engineer Claudio Zampolli in a joint venture with music composer Giorgio Moroder and designed by Marcello Gandin ...
began production, featuring a 16-cylinder engine in a unique configuration. Rather than a conventional V16 layout, the engine was actually two separate transversely mounted V8 engines with gearing between the two providing a single output from the centre of the engine assembly to the transmission. Only a few cars were produced before the company ceased operations.


Prototype cars

The
Peerless Motor Company The Peerless Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer that produced the Peerless brand of motorcars in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1900 to 1931. One of the "Three Ps" Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrowthe company was known for bu ...
developed a V16 engine in the early 1930s, yet just a single prototype was built before all automobile production ceased and the company converted its factory into a brewery following the end of Prohibition in the United States. In the late 1980s, the BMW Goldfish V16 engine was developed, based on BMW's then-new V12 engine. Prototypes were fitted to a long-wheelbase 7 Series and then in the early 1990s to a Bentley Mulsanne. At around the same time, Mercedes-Benz developed a V16 engine for the S-class limousine. Between 1988 and 1990, approximately 35 prototypes were built. The 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept car was unveiled with a V16 engine, which was based on the General Motors LS V8 engines. The following year, the
Rolls-Royce 100EX The Rolls-Royce 100 EX and the 101 EX, with 'EX' standing for ''experimental'' models, are two related concept cars developed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and first shown at the Salon International de l'Auto, Geneva International Auto Show in ...
concept car was unveiled with a V16 engine. The car featured in the film ''
Johnny English Reborn ''Johnny English Reborn'' is a 2011 spy action comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and written by Hamish McColl from a story by William Davies. A sequel to '' Johnny English'' (2003) and the second instalment in the ''Johnny English'' seri ...
'' is powered by this V16 engine. The 2017 Devel Sixteen Prototype used a quad-turbo V16 engine.


Racing cars

The first known use of a V16 in motor racing was the ''Maserati Tipo V4'' car used in Grand Prix racing. The Tipo V4 debuted at Monza in 1929 and achieved a world speed record of at an event in Cremona, Italy. At the
1931 Indianapolis 500 The 19th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1931. Race winner Louis Schneider, who led the final 34 laps, was accompanied by riding mechanic Jigger Johnson. The start of the ra ...
, a custom-built V16 engine was fitted to a
Cord Cord or CORD may refer to: People * Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer * Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver * Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist * Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer * Co ...
"supercar" driven by Shorty Cantlon. The car was competitive, charging from 26th on the grid to 3rd, but was slowed by unreliability, further exacerbated by having to change all sixteen spark plugs. The following year, Bryan Saulpaugh qualified the car in third position. The car suffered a broken oil line on lap 55 and their race was over. Shortly after the race the V16 was removed and replaced with a conventional Miller four-cylinder engine. The mid-engined
Auto Union Auto Union AG, was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today. As well as acting as an umbrella firm f ...
''Type A'', ''Type B'' and ''Type C'' Grand Prix cars of 1933 to 1938 were powered by supercharged engines. Due to a rule change in 1938, these were replaced by a V12 engine for the ''Type D'' racing car. Prior to this rule change, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 316 competed at the 1938 Tripoli Grand Prix powered by a 60-degree V16 engine. The only known use of a V16 engine in the post-World War II era is the British Racing Motors (BRM) V16 engine used in Formula One racing from 1950 to 1955. The engine was a supercharged design, which was unsuccessful despite its high power output. Officially, it produced but probably delivered around . The car was difficult to drive, due to the power band being in a narrow range and at high RPM.


Marine / rail applications

The V16 configuration is also used in several large displacement
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...
s that are used as marine engines or in rail
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...
s. This is due to manufacturers often designing an engine around a fixed displacement per
cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an ...
, then adding additional cylinders to the design until the required power output is achieved. For example, the Electro-Motive Diesel 710 engine range uses a displacement of per cylinder, with the 16 cylinder version (called the ''EMD 16-710'') producing over .
GE Transportation Systems GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generati ...
produces the ''7FD Series'' four-stroke engines (used in marine, locomotive, and stationary applications), which have a displacement of per cylinder and can produce over . GE also manufactures the GEVO-16, which produces over . Another V16 diesel engine is the ''
Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...
46F'', which produces over at 600 rpm. In the UK from 1947 onwards, the English Electric company's subsidiary English Electric diesel engines developed a V16 engine for rail and marine use based on its 10" bore x 12" stroke (254mm x 305mm) K series from the 1930s, notably used in
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...
ways class 40 and 50 locomotives with power output in the range 2000-3000 hp (1492-2238 kW) at speeds ranging from 600 to 900 rpm. This engine too derives from a series based on a fixed cylinder size of 942 cu.in. (15.4 L) per cylinder, giving the V16 a total capacity of 15,072 cu.in. (246 L). Another notable maker to offer the V16 configuration was
Detroit Diesel Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the mulitinational D ...
corporation, especially in their 71, 92 and 149 series
2-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
diesel engines, with output ranging from around 650 to over 2400 bhp (485-1790 kW) at speeds over 2000 rpm in the smaller ranges. Once again these engines were based on common parts (the numeric designation is the cylinder size in cubic inches) and were used for maritime, generator and off-road mine truck applications. The modular nature of the engines meant that the V16 configuration was built by putting together 2 V8 engine blocks and the 2-stroke cycle offered excellent power to weight, with the 16V149 being capable of equalling the output of much larger, slower-running 4-stroke engines.
Fairbanks Morse Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, radios, farm tractors, fee ...
manufactures the following V16 diesel engines, FM , ALCO 251F, FM , COLT-PIELSTICK PA6B STC, FM , COLT-PIELSTICK PC2.5 STC, FM , MAN 28/33D STC, FM , MAN 32/44CR, FM , MAN 48/60 CR and the FM , MAN 175D.


Aircraft applications

The 1910 version of the
Antoinette VII The Antoinette VII was an early French aircraft, flown in 1909. History The VII was a further development of the Antoinette IV, with increased engine power and using a wing warping system implemented by Levavasseur for the Antoinette V in plac ...
was powered by a V16 engine and competed in the 1910 Gordon Bennett Cup in the United States. The 1930s Hindenburg airships were each powered by four
Daimler-Benz DB 602 The Daimler-Benz DB 602, originally known as Daimler-Benz LOF.6, was a German diesel cycle aero engine designed and built in the early 1930s. It was a liquid-cooled upright V16, and powered the two ''Hindenburg''-class airships. It has roughly ...
V16 diesel engines. In the first half of the 20th century, several prototype aircraft used V16 engines, including: * 1907 prototype designed by
Antoinette Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius''). People with the name include: Nobles * Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of C ...
engineer
Léon Levavasseur Léon Levavasseur (8 January 1863 – 26 February 1922) was a French powerplant engineer, aircraft designer and inventor. His innovations included the V8 engine, direct fuel injection, and liquid engine cooling. Primarily associated with ...
. *
Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-e ...
developed a V16 engine for use in military aircraft in the mid 1910s. World War I ended prior to the engine being tested in an aircraft. * The
Chrysler IV-2220 The Chrysler XIV-2220 (XI-2220 from 1944) was an experimental 2,500 hp, 2,220 cubic inch (36.4 liter) liquid-cooled inverted- V-16 aircraft engine designed by Chrysler starting in 1940. Although several aircraft designs had considered using ...
inverted V16 engine began development in 1939, when Chrysler was contracted by the United States government to create a new engine for use in fighter aircraft. The resulting engine was rated at ,, however it took until June 1945 for the engine to be in a state ready for testing. A prototype engine was installed in a
P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomb ...
(designated the ''XP-47H''), which achieved a top speed of . World War II ended shortly after the tests, therefore development of the engine ceased.


See also

* Flat-sixteen engine *
W16 engine A W16 engine is a sixteen-cylinder piston engine with four banks of four cylinders in a W configuration. W16 engines are rarely produced, with the notable exception of the Volkswagen Group 8.0 WR16 engine, which has been used since 2005 in the ...


References

{{Authority control Piston engine configurations 16