Bugatti 8.0 W16 quad-turbo in a Lamborghini Diablo

Bugatti W16 in a Lamborghini Diablo

One of the earliest chapters in the story of Bugatti’s colossal 8.0 W16 quad-turbo engine began not in the rear of a Veyron, but in a Lamborghini Diablo.

Designed around a V12, the Italian supercar must have required extensive alterations to accommodate the enormous, heavy 436 kg engine. In return, the Diablo gained truly devilish output: 1001 PS, effectively twice its standard power. Diabolical…

The Bugatti Veyron test mule

We had not known of this “test mule” until editiononeoff revealed it in the post below. There is an additional bonus, too: the first Veyron development prototype to be built:

Bugatti’s use of a Lamborghini Diablo was no coincidence. Volkswagen Group acquired Bugatti in 1998 and Lamborghini also belonged to it at the time. The Italian marque was already developing the Diablo’s successor, the Murciélago, and, speculatively, may have had one or two Diablos available for Bugatti’s purposes.

The Diablo’s excessive width - more than two metres - may have been decisive in choosing it to house Bugatti’s broad W16 and all the associated hardware required for it to operate.