Northampton-based
Cosworth is marking 65 years of engineering excellence this month. The iconic brand, famed for motorsport success and high-performance automotive technology, opened its doors in September 1958 and very quickly started developing championship-winning engines for a range of racing cars and clocking up a total of 155 Formula One victories with the legendary DFV (double four valve).
Over the decades Cosworth diversified, launching a range of high-performance race and road engines, electronics and most recently, electric powertrains. The powertrain division at the brand’s headquarters in Northampton now sets the benchmark for developing hypercar engines. Taking Formula One technology and applying it to the road is no easy task, however the two latest cars, Aston Martin’s Valkyrie and GMA’s T.50 have taken the world by storm, and there is more to come.
Cosworth’s electronics division has recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. Today, its offering still consists of cutting-edge motorsport electronics, while the development team is taking the knowledge built up over 30 years and is applying it to the automotive sector. Cosworth’s AliveDrive has been positioned to capture highly accurate data with synchronised onboard video to provide users motorsport-level data analysis capabilities on the road, enabling drivers to improve their performance and to aid safety.
Lastly, but certainly not least, the team at Cosworth’s Silverstone base are developing high-performance battery technology and alternative propulsion devices. Most recently Cosworth debuted an immersion-cooled battery pack that will power
Norton Motorcycle’s new electric motorcycle.
Tribute to Giotto BizzarriniEarlier this year,
Bizzarrini announced its new hypercar, The Giotto, which will feature a V12, developed and built by Cosworth. The news gave one specific detail about the engine: it will have a capacity of 6,626cc in tribute to Giotto Bizzarrini, whose date of birth was 6 June, 1926.
As part of Cosworth’s 65th anniversary celebrations, the brand is the first to reveal more detailed information about the bespoke clean sheet powertrain that is in development for The Giotto.
Bizzarrini and Cosworth have gone to great lengths through feasibility studies to map out the ideal solution to Bizzarrini’s requirements. Work is already well underway to develop the combustion system using Cosworth’s proven three-cylinder development mule engine. Emissions standards are key to all of Cosworth’s road engines and the engine for The Giotto is no different. The V12 has been designed to meet current and future legislation, including Euro 7.
The design is in its final stages, nearing completion. Incorporated within the design is Cosworth’s plasma bore coating, creating much lighter block assemblies than engines using conventional steel liners. It also reduces friction between piston rings and the bore as well as improved heat transfer to cooling galleries. Prototype engines will be manufactured and assembled in house and are on course to be running on Cosworth dynos in late Q2 2024.
Bruce Wood, managing director of Cosworth’s propulsion division, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 65 years of innovation at Cosworth. We have taken the dream of our two founders, who wanted to ‘make a living messing around with racing engines’, as they have famously been quoted, to developing some of the world’s most advanced propulsion technology for industries far wider than motorsport, from hypercars to aerospace. Being able to announce we will be developing an all-new engine to power the rebirth of the storied Bizzarrini brand on the same day as our 65th is the icing on the cake.”
Bizzarrini CEO Ian Fenton said: “We are delighted to partner with such a globally-renowned designer of high-performance engines for our new Hyper GT, The Giotto. The bespoke V12 Bizzarrini engine designed by Cosworth will offer the unique performance characteristics, and an emotive exhaust note to match the stunning Giugiaro-styled design.”