Browse
Log in / Register
Share
Eight liters, four turbochargers, and sixteen cylinders: Bugatti's W16 has become the stuff of hypercar legend. But as of May 9, 2026, that powertrain is no longer the only quad-turbo engine on the road or under development. Bugatti has moved its newest flagship, the Tourbillon, to a naturally aspirated V16 hybrid setup, while two other builders are now carrying the quad-turbo torch — and a third wants in by 2027.
For years, Bugatti's 8.0-liter W16 was the answer to almost any question about multi-turbo hypercar engines. It remains the only 16-cylinder production car engine in existence, and its development history is a story of custom-built testing rigs, decades of refinement, and plenty of patience. But the quad-turbo concept never belonged exclusively to Bugatti. The real story is that a tiny but growing group of automakers is finding ways to make four-turbo setups work in the age of electrification.
Danish hypercar maker Zenvo has quietly become one of the most interesting names in this space. The company's history is full of unusual engine choices. Its first car, the ST1 from 2009, used a V8 with both a supercharger and a turbocharger. The later TS1 GT switched to twin superchargers. Now, the Aurora uses a quad-turbo 6.6-liter V12 built by Mahle Powertrain.
That engine produces 1,250 horsepower on its own. Add the Aurora's electric motors, which contribute another 600 horsepower, and the combined output climbs to 1,850 horsepower. Despite that extreme performance, the Aurora is street-legal in both the U.S. and Europe. Zenvo is building only 100 examples, but the powertrain itself may have a longer life.
Mahle says the engine was designed as a modular unit, meaning smaller V8 and V6 versions could be developed later. Zenvo also has a history of reusing its powertrains: its twin-supercharged V8 ended up in four different models before being retired. If that pattern holds, the quad-turbo V12 could reappear in future Zenvo models.
A lesser-known Italian startup called Giamaro Automobili is working on its first hypercar, the Katla. It was shown in 2025 with a 7.0-liter quad-turbo V12 under the composite bodywork. The claimed output is a staggering 2,137 horsepower, which would make it one of the most powerful internal-combustion engines ever fitted to a roadgoing car.
Many ambitious startups fade away before production, but Giamaro has some advantages. At the Katla's launch, Top Gear toured the company's factory and noted that many employees were recruited from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani. The founder is also said to have been an early investor in Pagani, giving the team experience in delivering small-volume, ultra-exclusive hypercars to real customers. Giamaro expects to deliver the first Katla in 2027. If that happens, the quad-turbo club will have three active members for the first time.
Quad-turbo setups are common in high-end prototypes and low-volume hypercars, but only one mainstream automaker has ever built them at scale: BMW. Between 2016 and 2020, the German company offered a 3.0-liter inline-six diesel with four turbochargers. It was known internally as the B57D30S0 and sat in BMW's B57 engine family.
This engine produced about 400 horsepower and roughly 560 lb-ft of torque. In the M550d xDrive sedan, it delivered a 0-60 mph time in the mid-four-second range, making it one of the fastest diesel production cars of that era. BMW used it in several models, including the X5 M50d, X7 M50d, and 750d. The engine disappeared at the start of the decade because of weak buyer demand and stricter emissions rules.
Even though BMW was the only major automaker to mass-produce a quad-turbo engine, other large companies have explored the idea. Ford's GT90 supercar concept from the 1990s featured a quad-turbo V12, but the project was mainly an engineering exercise. Chrysler's ME Four-Twelve came much closer to production in the mid-2000s. It used a 6.0-liter V12 derived from AMG with four turbochargers and a claimed 850 horsepower. Financial troubles at parent company DaimlerChrysler ultimately killed it. Porsche has also experimented with quad-turbo setups for the 911, according to reports, but packaging and heat issues kept the design out of production.
Four turbochargers do not automatically mean more power than two. The real advantage is response. Smaller turbos spool faster, but bigger turbos make more top-end power. A quad-turbo setup lets engineers stage the airflow so the engine feels urgent at low rpm and still pulls hard near redline. That benefit, however, comes with added complexity under the hood, more heat, and higher manufacturing costs.
In the 2020s, electrification has changed the math. Hybrid hypercars can use electric motors to fill throttle response gaps, which reduces the need for clever turbo staging. That is one reason the new Bugatti Tourbillon uses a V16 without forced induction. But for Zenvo and Giamaro, the quad-turbo V12 remains a deliberate statement of intent. It is loud, extreme, and technically fascinating — exactly what a halo hypercar needs to stand out in a crowded market.
For now, the quad-turbo engine club is still tiny. Bugatti's W16 continues to power recently produced models, Zenvo's Aurora is in limited production, and Giamaro is pushing toward a 2027 launch. If all three stay on track, the era of the four-turbo hypercar may be just beginning.
