Remember the Devel Sixteen? You know; that supercar built in Dubai a few years back that gave us the instant impression that someone was trying to blow smoke up our ass? Well, it may have taken a couple of years, but the official production model is finally about to make its long-awaited debut. The venue? The 2017 Dubai Auto Show. In case you don’t remember, let me fill you in on what the Devel Sixteen really is. It was a car that came to the Dubai Auto Show back in 2013 looking like a plastic Hot Wheels car with unbelievable claims of power and speed. By unbelievable, I’m talking about 5,000 horsepower from a V-16 with quad turbos and a top speed that surpasses 300 mph – a feat that may be accomplished by the Hennessey Venom F5} in the very near future.
You can’t deny that those claims sound pretty ridiculous – even the Koenigsegg One:1 is rated at just 1MW or 1,341 horsepower. The new Hennessey Venom F5 is rated at 1,600 horsepower, and even the Bugatti Chiron comes in at just 1,470 ponies. So how can a no-name company like Devel show up to the scene with a car that is said to have 5,000 horsepower and can smash 300 mph really be in the news yet again? Well, Devel may not be showing off the official car until next week, but it has already released some specs on the engine, and at this point, we kind of have to see it – just to scratch the itch that is curiosity.
To top it all off, Devel isn’t exactly on its own either, which really makes things interesting. If you remember correctly, the company teamed up with Steve Morris Engines – an engine building out of Michigan. It’s also teamed up with Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT,) a firm that has had a hand in building cars like the SCG 003 and the Apollo Intensa Emozione. Needless to say, these aren’t exactly no-name companies working on a project that seemed to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick just a few years ago. Keep reading to see some pictures of the prototype, a picture of this crazy V-16 engine, a video of the Engine on the Dyno and full specs of the production model so far.
Devel Sixteen: Did Someone Sell Their Soul to the Devil?
It seems pretty hard to believe, but from the look of things, this Michigan-built engine really has the balls to push some serious power. The dyno it was tested on couln’t go above 4,515 horsepower (and why should it have to, right?) so there’s no definitive evidence that it can put down a real 5,000 ponies, but as you can see from the video below, it sure didn’t hesitate to max out that dyno in a real hurry!
Devel Sixteen Specifications
- 12.3 LITER V16 QUAD TURBO
- 5,000+ HP (RATED OVER 5,000 HP, DYNO COULD NOT HOLD ANY MORE POWER OVER 4,515 HP)
- 4,515 HP @ 6,900 RPM, 36 PSI C16 (DYNO COULD NOT HOLD ANY MORE POWER OVER 4,515 HP)
- 3 519 TORQUE @ 6,600 RPM, 36 PSI
- 3 006 HP @ 6,900 RPM, 20 PSI (92 93 PUMP GAS – DAILY USE)
- 2,407 TORQUE @ 6,400 RPM, 20 PSI
- DEVEL SIXTEEN BILLET ENGINE BLOCK
- DEVEL SIXTEEN CYLINDER HEADS
- DEVEL SIXTEEN CRANKSHAFT
- DEVEL SIXTEEN BILLET CAMSHAFT (ROLLER CAMSHAFT, STREET TUNE)
- 2 VALVE PER CYLINDER (32 TITANIUM VALVE)
- 81 MM QUAD TURBO
Needless to say, this thing is pretty damn crazy, but it’s still hard to believe that it can really live up to the hype – even with a video proving the engine can nearly break a dyno. Can a car even handle 5,000 horsepower without ripping in half or worse? And, if so, will the car actually be able to break the 300-mph barrier. If it does, how fast will 5,000 let it go? 320 mph, 350 mph? I know we’re certainly curious to see, so Devel better come correct at the show and after! We want to see what 5,000 horsepower can do when it’s sent to the pavement. What do you predict?
References
Read our full review on the 2014 Devel Sixteen Prototype.