The Devel Sixteen had its North American debut at the 2019 Toronto International Auto Show. However, the prototype has been around for a while before that and as far as prototypes go, this one ranks among the most extreme examples. In 2015, the public had its first glimpse of the insane 5,000hp V16 engine that would eventually power the outrageous hypercar. The car sports an eye-catching exterior design but it’s that engine that got everyone talking, understandably so. After all, no one had ever launched a production car with that much power. When fully ready, the V16 engine will generate as much as 5,007hp and 3,757 pound-feet of torque! Here are a few more intriguing facts about one of the most ambitious automotive projects out there today.
10 The Brains Behind The Brawn
At the heart of the Devel Sixteen is a beast of an engine; something of a novelty in the automotive space, even by today’s standards. It was built by an American-based company called Steve Morris Engines. They currently operate out of a deceptively bland building located on the outskirts of Michigan.
The services they offer include complete engine builds, dyno tuning and track-side support. They are also in leading name in turbo and supercharged kits. It makes sense then that they were approached for the Devel Sixteen project, a vehicle that relies heavily on turbo boost.
9 Building The Monster
The Devel Sixteen hypercar, when complete, will be powered by a fire-breathing Quad-turbo 12.3-litre V16 engine. In designing the engine, the lads at Steve Morris decided to stick to a formula they were familiar with.
Consequently, the V16 engine comprises parts from a Chevy big-block platform and LS V8 engine parts complemented with other sections that had to be custom-designed. Contrary to some reports, this was much more than just splicing 2 GM LS V8 engines together; an arrangement, according to Morris, that would just ‘twist itself apart like crazy.’
8 A Long Process
It was never going to be easy building an engine capable of producing 5,000hp and Steve Morris understandably had a tough time figuring out this ambitious project, especially since they were given very little to work with by the financiers. First, the company had to find a material big enough to make the engine block. They eventually settled on a 48-inch-long billet that cost $13,000.
The machining and other processes soon followed but it would be a year and a half before the engine was finally ready for its first dyno test run. We still do not have the Devel Sixteen’s production version and you can bet the engine is still being tweaked and prepared for when the car’s finally ready.
7 Quad-Turbo? Yes, Please
The Devel Sixteen engine straps on a quad-turbo setup with the V16 layout. That’s four turbochargers like the Bugatti Chiron. The chunky 81mm turbos were custom-built by Steve Morris and helps the engine to generate up to 1,050 pound-feet of torque at 3,000rpm with approximately 3 pounds of boost.
At full throttle, the turbos will produce 36 pounds of boost. That high-pressure air is sucked in gratefully by a short-runner intake to produce the real magic under the hood.
6 That Magical Horsepower Output
When the Devel Sixteen was first introduced in 2013, it came with the promise of 5,007hp. It seemed unreal at the time however, if the car ever makes it to production, you just might be seeing the first production car with that amount of power at its disposal.
In December 2015, the prototype engine was tested using the biggest dyno owned by Steve Morris at the time and it maxed out at 4,515hp but that was only because the dyno had reached its limit. It is expected that the production V16 engine will be fully capable of hitting the 5,000hp mark at an 8,000rpm limit.
5 The 5,000hp Scorecard
The imperious Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ was able to crack the 300mph barrier with ‘only’ 1,578hp to work with. It is only fair then that a similar performance, or even better, is expected of the Devel Sixteen with its more powerful engine and yes, such has been promised by the manufacturer.
Propelled by the 5,007hp V16 engine, the Devel Sixteen can hit 60mph in 1.8 seconds and then power on to an incredible 348mph by which time, the car is producing a maximum 3, 757 pound-feet of torque. They will need to find the tires capable of withstanding the strain though.
4 The Other Engine Variants
It is understandable that the 5,000hp V16 engine gets the highest amount of attention. However, what many people may not know is the plan to offer other engine variants with the hypercar.
In November 2017, Chief Engineer Paolo Garella, revealed plans for an entry level Devel Sixteen, powered by a ‘base’ 1,500hp LS V8 turbocharged engine and priced at $1.6million. An extra $200,000 gets you the mid-range version kitted out with a 3,000hp V16 engine. The 5,007hp engine is reserved for the range-topping Devel Sixteen and as at 2017, it was estimated to cost about $2 million.
3 Limitations Of The Powerplant
The 5,007hp-powered Devel Sixteen weighs in at a hefty 2,300kg but there’s enough power on tap to shrug off that load and propel the car to insanely swift speeds. However, that’s a lot of power to harness and no matter the process involved, it does put an incredible amount of strain on the engine.
Driving this beast at full throttle for an extended period of time – if you can find a long-enough highway stretch – can cause extensive damage to the car. That is why the 5,007hp version of the hypercar is not road-legal and is purpose-built for drag racing only.
2 The Supercar Blondie Connection
Alex Hirschi, more popularly known as Supercar Blondie, is one of the most popular social media influencers in the automotive world today. In October 2020, her Facebook page set a record for the most-watched page with over 2.9 billion views that month alone.
A while ago, she set another record by being the first person outside of the Devel Sixteen production circle, to drive the hypercar and have a feel of that powerful engine. This happened in November 2018 when the lively blonde got to try out the car in Dubai.
1 Funding The Project
The Devel Sixteen project has all the makings of a fantasy gone wild and under normal circumstances, you might be tempted to dismiss it as such. However, the backers of the project are quite wealthy and undoubtedly have the finances to pull it off. One of the car’s creators is Rashid Al Attar, a member of the ultra-wealthy Al Attar family in the United Arab Emirates.
One of the family’s business ventures is the Gevora Hotel, currently the world’s tallest hotel. Hotel guests get a free access to view some of Al Attar’s car collection that reportedly includes over a hundred vehicles – and this is still just a small glimpse into their enormous financial wealth. If the Devel Sixteen project eventually becomes a dud, you can’t be sure it will not be due to a lack of funding.
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