You might already know the LS can be turned into a V12 engine. Factory Five Racing did exactly that, unleashing 750 horsepower from 9.5 liters of displacement and natural aspiration. Now try to imagine what it would be like to convert the LS architecture to 16 cylinders. Madness, isn’t it?
First things first, the company that builds this monstrosity is based in the Detroit Metro Area of Michigan. Stylized as XVI Power – with XVI standing for sixteen in Roman numerals – the company lists the V16 as a marine engine with… wait for it… 14 liters of displacement! A large boat is capable of fitting this powerplant, but your '69 Camaro project car probably isn't.
Shown in near-production guise at the 2019 SEMA Show in November, the LS-based V16 can also be converted for automobile use with a few simple modifications. Delete the water-cooled headers and heat exchangers, update the accessory drive, and that’s mostly it. Designed for OEM and aftermarket heads and manifolds, the ultra-expensive-but-reliable powerplant will be tested at sea in the earliest part of 2020 in a 42-foot catamaran.
Shall we talk output now? The XVI Power website lists no fewer than five flavors for the 14-liter blunderbuss, starting with 900 horsepower and natural aspiration. Two performance versions – packing 1,200 and 1,400 horsepower without the need for forced induction – are also available. The next step would be to strap a supercharger for 1,600 ponies, then there’s the quad-turbo setup with 2,000 horsepower for the most conservative tune.
The company claims that “a great block needs to be built with great components,” hence the billet single-piece crankshaft, three-bolt cam kit, LS Gen 4 or LT Gen 5 heads, and twin drive-by-wire throttle bodies. The cooling components include even a cooler for the fuel, one for the power steering fluid, and a transmission cooler. Yup, this bad boy here is built like a tank!
Katech, the outfit that listed the C8 Corvette with the LT5 engine on its website before General Motors has even revealed the mid-engined sports car, has also helped with the development of the V16. These guys are very knowledgeable in all things General Motors, having helped The Big G win races with the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands in the Trans Am series, IMSA Prototype Challenge, and Pirelli World Challenge.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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