The forgotten 16-cylinder
05/23/2018
There are not too many 16-cylinder engines in the history of the automobile, but there is one that is regularly forgotten when they are mentioned. Yet Coventry Climax was an engine manufacturer with an outstanding reputation and a wealth of experience. Many Grand Prix victories and successes, including in road sports cars, showed that Peter Windsor Smith and Walter Hassan knew what they were doing.
In the sixties, high revs were seen as the only way to achieve more power, and the only way was with more cylinders. So Coventry Climax began working on a 16-cylinder 1.5-liter Grand Prix engine. The angle between the two rows of cylinders was 180 degrees and the power was taken from the middle of the engine.
The engine, officially presented in 1965, allowed high engine speeds with its small cylinders, but the output of just over 200 hp was only slightly higher than that of the eight-cylinder engine already available. There were also considerable vibration problems and the engine would not run for more than three hours without an overhaul.
Although Coventry partner Lotus had designed the Type 33 specifically for the 16-cylinder, known as the FWMV, the engine was never used.
Even worse, however, was the fact that the failure of the 16-cylinder meant that Coventry Climax had no engine for the new three-liter formula, as none of the available power units could be bored out to three liters, which ultimately meant the racing engine manufacturer's withdrawal from Grand Prix racing.
