Devel Motors Devel Sixteen

Devel Sixteen at a glance: concept, prototype and production car

Devel Motors is a small company in the United Arab Emirates. Its Sixteen went through three stages, and each had a different body and status. Treat it as a project still in development rather than a hypercar you can compare with series models.

The 2017 prototype had a carbon-fibre monocoque, according to Devel. The Italian firm Manifattura Automobili Torino, maker of the Apollo Intensa Emozione, was named as the production partner at the time. All Devel models in our catalogue are on the Devel Motors brand page.

Engines and claimed performance

The V16 was designed and built by Steve Morris Engines, an engine specialist in the United States. It is in effect two V8 banks on a common crankshaft: 16 cylinders with about 770 cc each and two turbochargers on each side. In a 2015 dyno test the prototype engine produced about 4,515 hp (3,367 kW), which the builder said was the limit of the test rig rather than of the engine.

Devel has claimed 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 1.8 seconds and a top speed of 560 km/h (348 mph) for the most powerful version. The V8 production car targets about 400 km/h (249 mph). No independent test has confirmed any of these figures, and in June 2022 reports said the first car had not yet reached its 2,000 hp target.

How the power would reach the road is also unclear. Public data list an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive for the concept; the old 1cars text adds adaptive dampers, adjustable ride height and three driving modes. Devel has published no tyre, cooling or braking data. By comparison, Bugatti fitted the Chiron with a dedicated cooling system to handle 1,103 kW (1,500 PS).

Jet-fighter styling and body

The Sixteen looks like a jet fighter on wheels. A pointed nose ends in a large splitter, the cockpit sits far forward, and the long rear deck covers the engine. At the back, exhaust outlets shaped like jet nozzles and a large wing complete the theme. The 2017 prototype lost the 2013 concept's three-strut wing and gained smoother body lines and new lights.

Reports on the first production car describe a body about 5.2 metres (17 ft) long and a weight of around 2,270 kg (5,000 lb), heavy for a two-seater even by hypercar standards.

Cockpit: from lavish concept to minimalist prototype

The 2013 concept had a lavish cabin with leather trimmed in a diamond pattern, metal rings as decoration and very large dials. The 2017 prototype switched to a minimalist layout: a rectangular screen in the dashboard and a compact racing-style steering wheel with eight buttons. Reports on the first production car say some interior parts come from the Chevrolet Corvette C8.

Price and availability

Devel quoted prices in US dollars for the three versions when it announced them, rising from the V8 road car to the track-only V16. There is no European list price, no dealer network and no confirmed delivery schedule, so the car cannot be bought in the usual way. Interest goes through the company directly.

Rivals: how the Devel Sixteen compares

On paper the track Sixteen has more than three times the power of a Chiron (3,734 kW against 1,103 kW). In practice, the Chiron, the electric Lotus Evija and the Rimac Concept Two exist as series or limited-series cars with tested figures, while the Devel's numbers are still claims. The Koenigsegg Agera R set measured acceleration records in September 2011 with less than a quarter of the claimed Devel power.

Our ranking of the most powerful cars uses the 1,471 kW target of the V8 road car from our catalogue; on that basis the Devel Sixteen is ranked #2, behind the Lotus Evija. Our edited list of the most powerful supercars counts only verified peak outputs, so the Devel is not on it.