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Where are Europe's most powerful engines produced?

Take a tour of Europe to discover the factories and workshops where the most powerful petrol engines are created, even those with 1,600 PS.

Where Europe's most powerful engines are produced

By: Fabio Gemelli

Published by: Brian Potter

Apr 22, 2024 at 6:03am ET

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Have you ever wondered where some of the most powerful engines powering Europe's supercars and hypercars are produced? Where, for example, is Lamborghini's V12 or Ferrari's twin-turbocharged 8-cylinder, but also Bugatti's W16 or Koenigsegg's V8?

To find out where the most powerful internal combustion engines in Europe are assembled, we travelled across the Old Continent to discover the birthplaces of the best engines - those that, with pistons and petrol, can deliver up to 1,600 PS.

So let's take a look at the birthplaces of Europe's super engines, in order of power.

Ängelholm (SUE) - Koenigsegg
Salzgitter (GER) - Bugatti
Præstø (DK) - Zenvo
Northampton (GB) - Aston Martin, GMA
Affalterbach (GER) - Pagani, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG
Sant'Agata Bolognese (IT) - Lamborghini
Maranello (IT) - Ferrari

Ängelholm (SUE) - Koenigsegg

In Sweden, in the southernmost province of Scandinavia, there is a small town of around 45,000 inhabitants called Ängelholm.

The Koenigsegg factory in Ängelholm

Koenigsegg assembly lines in Ängelholm

Koenigsegg's V8 engine

The site has become world-famous for housing the production plant created by Christian von Koenigsegg, the father of the Swedish hypercar brand Koenigsegg.

Koenigsegg Jesko

It is in this 30,000 square metre workshop, which also includes the new Gripen workshop, the powerful 5.1-litre, 1,600 PS V8 engines that power the Koenigsegg Jesko and the 1,500 PS Koenigsegg Gemera HV8 are assembled. The latter is also equipped with the Dark Matter electric motor, bringing total power to 2,300 PS.

Salzgitter (GER) - Bugatti

The home of the new Bugatti is in Molsheim, France, but the 8-litre W16 four-cylinder engine is hand-assembled at Volkswagen's German plant in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, before being shipped to the French factory.

The Volkswagen plant in Salzgitter

The W16 Bugatti engine assembled in Salzgitter

The W16 Bugatti engine

It was in this German town of 104,000 inhabitants that the engine that develops 1,600 PS in the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport and Bugatti Centodieci was born.

Bugatti Centodieci

The extremely high level of craftsmanship applied to the creation of this mechanical masterpiece, which has no electrification system whatsoever, is attested to by the six days of manual assembly by two specialist technicians, who assembled 3,712 different parts.

Præstø (DK) - Zenvo

It may sound strange, but even in Denmark there are people building some of the most powerful car engines in existence, albeit in decidedly small numbers. The company in question is Zenvo, which, from its workshops in Præstø (population 3,893), produces the spectacular engine that powers the TS1 and its derivatives, with power ratings of up to 1,379 PS.

Zenvo's office in Præstø

Zenvo's workshop in Præstø

The new Zenvo V12 engine by Mahle Powertrain

The twin-turbocharged 5.8-litre V8 engine is originally from Chevrolet, but Zenvo has modified and improved it to produce 1,119 PS on the Zenvo TS1 and 1,379 PS on the Zenvo TSR-GT.

Zenvo Aurora Tur

Zenvo is taking a new step forward with the new Aurora, scheduled for 2025, which will use a new four-cylinder V12 engine to develop between 1,265 and 1,876 PS with the addition of two electric motors. The new V12 is being developed in collaboration with MAHLE Powertrain, the British company based in Northampton.

Northampton (GB) - Aston Martin, GMA

Northampton, a British city of more than 243,000 inhabitants, is also home to Cosworth, the historic manufacturer of high-performance engines that supplies the naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre, 1,015 PS V12 to the Aston Martin Valkyrie, assembled at Gaydon.

Cosworth's historic Northampton headquarters

The assembly of the Aston Martin Valkyrie at Gaydon

The Cosworth engine of the Aston Martin Valkyrie

The British hypercar then adds a KERS hybrid system with a 163 PS electric motor, bringing total power to 1,176 PS and a limit of 11,100 rpm.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

Cosworth is also responsible for the naturally-aspirated 3.9-litre V12 engine powering the 663 PS Gordon Murray Automotive T.50.

Affalterbach (GER) - Pagani, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG

Another small town where some of Europe's most powerful engines are produced is Affalterbach, a village of less than 4,500 inhabitants in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where Mercedes-AMG is based.

The Mercedes-AMG plant in Affalterbach

Mercedes-AMG engine assembly in Affalterbach

The Mercedes-AMG engine in the Pagani Utopia

As well as developing and building all the engines for the Mercedes-AMG sports models, the historic German marque also works with some famous names in the supercar and hypercar industry. One of these is Pagani, whose new Utopia is powered by the 864 PS Mercedes-AMG 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine (reference M158).

Pagani Utopia

The Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo 812 PS engine (code M178) will power the next Aston Martin Valhalla plug-in hybrid with a total of 1,012 PS. The brand's most powerful cars will be powered by the 639 PS 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (code M177), which develops 843 PS in the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E-Performance plug-in.

Sant'Agata Bolognese (IT) - Lamborghini

Sant'Agata Bolognese, an Italian town of 7,363 inhabitants in the province of Bologna, is home to the Lamborghini factory, the home of the famous bull, known the world over for its dream supercars.

The Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese

The Lamborghini plant in Sant'Agata Bolognese

Lamborghini engine assembly in Sant'Agata Bolognese

The Lamborghini V12 engine

Lamborghini's pride and joy has always been its naturally-aspirated V12 engine, the latest 6.5-litre version of which produces 825 PS in the Revuelto.

Lamborghini Revuelto

The on-board rechargeable hybrid system with three 190 PS electric motors brings total power to 1,015 PS.

Maranello (IT) - Ferrari

A name like Ferrari, which builds all its engines, from V6s to V8s and V12s, at its plant in Maranello, in the province of Modena (population over 17,000), couldn't be missing from this list.

The Ferrari factory in Maranello

The assembly of Ferrari engines

The V8 engine of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale

What do you think?

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At present, the most powerful engine is the 780 PS 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo that powers the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and which, coupled with three electric motors, reaches 1,000 PS.

Ferrari Purosangue

The 725 PS naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine powering the Ferrari Purosangue is also very powerful.

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