Pushrods for economical power

The V16 engine of Cadillac's Sixteen concept car previews future technology from General Motors that could see production in upcoming vehicles such as the 2005 Chevrolet Corvette.

A 1000-hp (746-kW) V16 pushrod two-valve engine in a stylish Cadillac Sixteen hardtop? Yes, and it is definitely an experimental engine with a future, with pushrod camshaft innovations such as variable valve timing and displacement-on-demand cylinder de-activation. Although no one at General Motors is promising the car or the XV-16 itself will be made, its many engineering features might very soon see a production line.

Bob Lutz, GM's Vice Chairman of Product Development, would like to build the Cadillac Sixteen as a “halo” car for the division, and GM Powertrain VP Tom Stephens wants to produce the XV-16 within GM facilities. The car would have highway fuel economy of more than 20 mpg-a “magic number” for avoiding a “wretched excess” stigma. The engine, which has a 90° bank angle, could be built on the same assembly line as the next-generation Corvette 5.7-L small-block V8. And therein lies the engineering story: the V16 incorporates advances in pushrod engine technology that GM will put in the next generation of the Corvette V8, which today develops 405 hp (302 kW) in its high-performance LS-6 version.