Unveiled in February at the Miami International Boat Show, an intriguing 16-cylinder, 854-cubic-inch engine platform from Detroit-based Sixteen Power has been captured in testing action in the company’s first dynamometer video. The two-minute-plus video features a naturally aspirated, 1,100-hp version of the engine.
According to Sixteen Power’s Tom Robinson, the engine produced peak horsepower at 5,800 rpm.
Click image above to watch video.
“This may seem like low rpm for an LS-based engine but it is intended for customers who want the ultimate in reliability—no high rpm, no high compression, no high valve lift numbers, no supercharging,” Robinson said in a press release.
Robinson also said that he and the other Sixteen Power team members have been surprised at interest coming from boat builders “looking for an upgrade option above in-line six- cylinder diesel engines.”
“We didn’t plan it this way but it turns out that the V-16 has the same dimensions and weight as a popular 550-hp marine diesel engine,” he said. “It fits in the same ‘pocket’ in the engine compartment and it delivers the same torque, with the advantage of a larger rpm range and greater horsepower.”
The engine’s naturally aspirated 1,100-hp output can be upped to 2,000 hp with “moderate supercharging,” according to Robinson. Development of a 2,000-hp supercharged Sixteen Marine engine package is underway, he added.
“In the automotive world, there are many supercharged or turbocharged LS 7.0L engines making 1,000 hp—in fact, as crazy as it seems, that’s a pump gas street engine these days,” said Robinson. “It’s a recipe that we don’t hesitate to double in a V-16 marine application, taking care to upgrade engine components to maintain reliability in the extreme environment of extended wide open throttle runs common in poker runs and racing.”
Related Story: Sixteen Power Introduces V-16 LS Marine Engine in Miami