Friday Fantasy: That Time The Great Recession Killed The V16-Powered Cadillac Sixteen

Bugatti is bringing back the V16 engine.

The upcoming Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar has a hybrid powertrain based around a naturally aspirated 986 hp horsepower 8.3-liter V16.

Bugatti has been selling 16-cylinder cars since the 986 hp Veyron launched in 2005, but they were unusual W16s, with four interlaced banks of four pistons each and four turbochargers to go with them.

The new one is the first production V16 since the 1993 Cizeta-Moroder V16T, and you’ll have to go back to before World War 2 to find another when Cadillac was still selling the Series 90.

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But it almost went head to head with Bugatti in this century.

The Cadillac Sixteen concept car that was revealed at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show was meant to be a return to the pre-war power and elegance the brand was known for. The 20-foot-long sedan featured an exceptionally long split side-access hood that covered a massive 13.6-liter V16 that Cadillac rated at 1,000 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque.

The functional concept car had a dramatic, but understated style and an interior that looked ready for showrooms. Because it almost was.

The Sixteen was seriously considered for production as a low volume flagship priced around $300,000 that GM executive Bob Lutz told Autoweek would be limited to around 350 cars annually. Unfortunately for ultra-rich Cadillac fans, GM’s well-documented woes and the Great Recession conspired to kill the program before it could be brought to fruition.

Cadillac didn’t entirely give up on the idea, however, and recently considered building an Escalade with a V16 engine, before deciding to equip the Escalade V-Series with a 682 hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8, according to GM Authority.

GM still owns the sixteen, but has moved on to something that seemed more appropriate for modern times, at least until the Tourbillon showed up with a V16.

The Cadillac Celestiq is only about a foot shorter than the Sixteen and priced at $340,000, but fully electric. The big difference is that the Celesitq is actually on sale.

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