Let's be honest, the Bugatti Veyron is ugly. However, most enthusiasts would stop in their tracks and stare in disbelief upon seeing a Veyron on public streets. Sure it's ugly, but how can you ignore a 16-cylinder, quad-turbo, 1001-horsepower production engine?ญญ Sometimes a serious powerplant can gain admiration even when it's in a cosmetically-challenged vehicle.

The S2000 is no ugly duckling. Some believe it ranks up there with the NSX in the looks department. Better yet, it's engine is also a marvel. The F20C has been touted as one of the best normally-aspirated engines ever produced. Ten years after its release, the F20C engine still delivers one of the highest horsepower-per-liter outputs in the world for a naturally-aspirated engine. Of course, there's always some room for improvement.

Go Big or Go Home

We've already seen first hand that the F20C?responds very well to forced induction. With a target of 550 whp, we knew that improving the F20C's internals would be a must. Going inside, one should always consider increasing the bore of the engine to gain displacement. In the case of the F20C, this process requires "sleeving" the engine with high-performance aftermarket sleeves like those available from Darton. Up to now, many who have experimented with F20C big-bore (89mm and larger) engines have failed miserably, as head gasket failures become common. With the larger piston bore, less sealing area is available between the cylinders. The currently-available, aftermarket Multi Layer Steel (MLS) head gaskets made for the larger F20C bore sizes simply do not produce a good enough seal to hold in the combustion pressures associated with 400-plus horsepower. Some enthusiasts have gone so far as over-boring the factory head gasket in an effort to keep the seal. Unfortunatley, this has also been met with little success.

We've been lobbying for someone/anyone to make a big-bore stopper-type head gasket for the F20C. Fortunately, Cosworth has stepped up to the plate. Cosworth is no stranger to performance engine builds and have closely paid attention to the head gasket issues with big-bore F20C engines. They have developed a gasket that addresses the current modes of failure. The Cosworth folded stopper gasket is designed to provide maximum sealing around the cylinder. The Cosworth gasket is pre-coated with a 0.25 micron layer of nitrile rubber, ensuring a consistent distribution of sealing force. According to Cosworth, the die-cut manufacturing process ensures smooth edges that are superior to laser-cut gaskets. For the F20C and F22C, Cosworth now offers three 88mm head gaskets for stock bore engines (in multiple gasket thicknesses 0.38-, 0.80- and 1.1-mm) and a 90mm head gasket with an installed thickness of 1.1mm.

Forget the Slide Ruler

Almost anyone can assemble an engine. However, there are techniques and methods that must be employed to build an engine that can survive and thrive in racing conditions. Building an engine requires precision measurements and clearance. A good engine builder should always have the proper measuring tools to ensure that critical dimensions of components are checked before any assembly takes place. Every single component within the engine assembly should be measured and recorded. The cylinder bores, main and rod journals, piston diameter, rod bores (large and small end, ring end gaps and bearing thickness are only a few of the measurements that need to be taken. The data from the measurements can then be used to determine the bearing thicknesses and whether the piston-to-wall clearances are within specification. If an engine builder is not using precision tools to achieve these measurements then it is best to walk away and search for another builder.

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