5000bhp Devel Sixteen might just be for real - video shows engine in action

We’re used to seeing some fairly crazy power claims on wannabe supercars, so the temptation when you see a headline of 5000bhp is to dismiss it out of hand. Preposterous, you think. Absurd pipe dreaming. But Dubai-based Devel Sixteen has released a video of its quad turbo, 12.3-litre V16 (built by Steve Morris Engines) on a dyno producing 4515bhp and 3519lb ft of torque.

If you’re particularly uncharitable you might scoff that that’s not 5000bhp, but the truth is that the dyno couldn’t take any more than 4515bhp. More valid is the assertion that this number was achieved with less than standard fuel. However, Devel also did a run with standard pump fuel and it still produced 3006bhp and 2407lb ft of torque.

The Devel Sixteen prototype looks like a combination of an LMP1 racer and the rare Edonis supercar. Despite carbon fibre bodywork and a carbonfibre monocoque chassis it has a projected weight of 2300kg but that’s not surprising given the size of the engine. 

If you’re wondering what sort of performance figures a car with 5000bhp will produce, then how does 0-60mph in 1.8seconds and 350mph strike you? It is only rear wheel drive, which is both pleasing and terrifying, however before you get too many ideas about this being a driver’s car, it has a four speed automatic gearbox – presumably the only thing capable of coping with that much power.

As much as we admire the engineering that has gone into the engine, and the ambition of anyone willing to push the boundaries of hypercars, we can’t help but think that the Devel Sixteen might be several steps beyond what a road car should ever be.