Supercar Blonde got a chance to drive the prototype, and it sounds amazing.
Remember when we told you about this crazy company called Devel that wanted to build a 5,000-horsepower (3,728-kilowatt) V16-powered hypercar? We hear such claims from upstart companies quite a lot actually, and while we love the excitement and inspiration behind such ideas, most die without ever getting past the drawing board. We’re happy to say the Devel Sixteen is way past that point – in fact the company is even letting people drive the prototype on actual roads.
Technically speaking, only one person outside of Devel has driven it. Supercar Blondie was recently given the honor in Dubai, and naturally she had a camera in tow to record the occasion for a bit of excitement on Facebook and YouTube. It appears to be the exact same prototype we saw briefly in the spring, only now there’s a number plate on the back. And yes, she does actually get in the car and drive it away, but not before learning a few things about the crazy car. Devel plans to build just seven units a year in Texas, and the 5,000-hp version is slated to be the first one available. Testing of that car is slated to begin in February.
Sadly, the action isn’t what you’d call extreme. The car was dropped off in Dubai, and after a brief introduction where we get some truly biblical sound clips from the engine, Supercar Blonde is seen steering the car – very slowly and carefully – away from the transport it came in on. It was then loaded back into the trailer for a quick trip to the desert where heavy city traffic wouldn’t be a problem during a test drive Unfortunately, we don’t get any real sense of speed, nor are we given a glimpse of the prototype’s engine, which is still a test unit and not production spec. It is, however, gloriously throaty and loud, and the production version will be even louder. Yikes.
Still, we’re insanely jealous. The car truly looks like nothing else on the road, and the engine sounds properly powerful. Devel plans to make three different versions of the sixteen – the “base” model with a V8 making approximately 2,000 hp (1,491 kW); the mid-range street-legal model gets a 3,000 hp (2,237 kW) version of the V16, and the big tamale will be the 5,000 hp variant tearing at the pavement. That car won’t be street-legal, however.
There’s still a long way for Devel to go, especially if the company is planning to have a drivable 5,000 hp version ready in February. Then again, the company has already crossed some significant milestones in its 10-year journey to bring the Sixteen to life.
Source: Supercar Blonde via Facebook, YouTube
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