The idea of a 1.5L V16 seems hilarious by modern racing standards, especially to us in the land of BangShift where 900-cube V8s are prowling drag strips. That being said, in the world of Formula One racing back in the early 1950s engine designers had a choice. They could design a 4.5L naturally aspirated engine or a 1.5L blower motor.
BRM (British Racing Motors) decided to go the 1.5L route with their V16. It sported a comical 1.95-inch bore and 1.9-inch stroke. It was capable of 12,000 rpm and when equipped with a Rolls-Royce two stage centrifugal blower the engine made 600hp. Reportedly that Rolls blower was forcing 82 pounds of boost through the engine!
Interestingly, the engine featured two valves per cylinder. We’re guessing the tiny bore may have been a factor in that. These valves make Buick Nailhead valves look massive! How about 1.25in on the intake and 1.09in on the exhaust?
It’s no wonder why Formula One cars were revered so much back in this era. An engine like this in a custom racing chassis was the space shuttle of the day.
The payoff to this history lesson is the video below. It’s a bunch of static photos strung together, but the soundtrack is freaking magical. It’s audio of a BRM V16 powered Formula One car making laps. It is auditory gearhead porno. Who knew 1.5L could sound this good?!
Down force? We don’t need no stinking down force!
OMFG! A home theatre is needed to REALLY enjoy the music of that 16 cyl symphony!
It sounds like it is going through my house even on this cheap lap top.
It looks more like a flat 16 in the pics.
It was an H 16, not a V 16.
try head phones…awesome!
It looks like two V8s fastened together…
Now what sounds better, a top fuel warmup or the BRM?
yes it does
When I checked it on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BRM_H16_engine.jpg they called the motor an H16 which was two stacked flat 8 motors.
This tells me that the V16 is probably an error.
Did you read the sign in the photo? V16 now I am extra interested
more boost
IT ROARS LIKE A FUNNY CAR , NICE !
kinda sounds like it has a burp in it same spot of rev each lap ? But awesome none the less !!!
the burp is a rev limiter …. limited at 12000 rpm on this one & yes the sound is from the earlier V16.
William Wilson is correct. This is an H16, not a V16.
http://www.motorsportsuniversity.com/2010/06/brm-h16-monster.html
Had no idea the H16 sounded so damn good. Too bad it was overweight and disintegrated like a hand grenade.
YEAH,PORN FOR YOUR EARS!!! I LOVE IT
Not only is H16 correct but, does anyone see a Blower or any form of forced induction in any of these pictures?
No all the pictures have individual induction stacks!
Love this engine but so much miss information is being printed about it 🙁
draw through carbs…notice the belt and screw assembly on each bank of 4 intake stacks
Sounds amazing in headphones!
IT IS A 180 DEGREE “V”
The sound is a BRM V-16. The pictures are the H-16. The video ia not correct.
Eargasmic what a engine
There was a V16 and an H16. The V16 was in an early front engined GP car and the H16 was in later rear engined cars. Both sounded immense. The video shows pictures of the H16 cars but has sound from the V16 (from Nick Mason’s V16 BRM on a CD that was included in a book called “Into the Red’ that he wrote about his cars).
Sounds awesome!!!
Anyone who is a real gear head will absolutely love this. I had on stereo headphones and it sounded like the car was racing around my head. Absolutely amazing. Nothing beats a high revving engine.i believe this would get a response from someone in Coma!
I would love to have a download of that! Mmmmm yummy!
gives you goose skin!!, sounds “unearthly”
Pure Porn!!!
Who cares what engine it is…. just let go and FEEL the joy …..
Yes, the engine making that noise is a 135-degree V-16 dating from the early 1950s, not the 1967 H-16 shown in the photos.
Anyone wanting to know more about the 1.5 litres making that noise should get my book called “BRM V-16” published by Veloce. It’s a good book about a great car.
Here’s the link to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/BRM-V16-Britains-makers-built/dp/1845840372/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386412866&sr=1-2&keywords=BRM+V-16
this is the v16 from the fifties the one in the pictures is a h16 from the sixties two completely different beasts