5000hp Devel Sixteen hypercar debuts in Dubai, scaring the lederhosen off Bugatti

By Nick Jaynes November 12, 2013

devel sixteen 5000 hp supercar spotted on the road — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Germans are very proud of their Bugatti Veyron, with its 1,200 horsepower and its world-record-holding 267.8 mph top speed. While simply staggering in its own right, these numbers pale in comparison to the power output and claimed top speed of the Devel Sixteen.

While the Veyron is a production car, the Devel Sixteen is a one-off that boasts 5000 hp, which will rocket the Sixteen to 60 mph in 1.8 seconds and onto a top speed of – I kid you not – 348 mph.

Find it hard to believe? Well, you should.

While we believe the quad-turbo V16 engine can produce 5000 hp, we don’t believe it could get that power to the road in any really meaningful way – nor do we believe this backroom rip-off of the Lamborghini Egoista could really go 80 mph faster than the Veyron.

Just for reference, the 975,000-pound Boeing 747 lifts off at 181 mph. At speeds above 200, wind resistance turns air into gelatin and accelerating through it is about as about as easy as sucking hardened cement through a crazy straw.

The Germans had to combine all their mind powers, a quad-turbo W16, and a king’s ransom worth of money just to push past the 260 mph mark. To believe that Rashid Al-Attari, the developer of the Devel Sixteen, and his designers could surpass Bugatti on their first try is laughable.

But, hey, this is the Dubai Motor Show, after all. In the land of sand and outrageous flamboyance, such a showing is par for the heavily watered and fertilized course.

What is more believable is what is called ‘street mode’ – or ‘reality mode’, as I like to think it. Push the ‘street mode’ button and the Devel Sixteen fires on eight of its 16 cylinders and only produces 800-900 hp, according to Motor Authority.

Want to know how much the Devel Sixteen will cost and when you can order one? Well, keep waiting, Tag Romney. Devel hasn’t yet given any indication it’ll build more than one of these backwater brutes.

Should one of these get into the hands of an independent tester, we’ll be sure to bring you the update. So be sure to check back.

(Main photo credit: Youtube)

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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