A road car that can go 320 miles per hour? A quad-turbo V16 made from two LS V8s with 5007 horsepower? And all this from a car made by a startup company from Dubai? It all sounds like a joke, I know. Vaporware we shouldn't give a second glance? Perhaps. But while the Devel Sixteen may very well turn out to be a failure, it's worth noting a few key facts while keeping an open mind.

The concept immediately gets closer to the ground when you learn that its 320 mph target is supposed to be achievable by the "mid-level" 3000 horsepower version of the car, not just the 5007 hp everybody keeps talking about. There's also the fact that its American-made V16 engine is real, and way more elaborate than you'd imagine.

And then, there's perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle, Chief Engineer Paolo Garella. The former head of Pininfarina's one-off division is mostly known now for designing Jim Glickenhaus' race and road cars, and more recently, working on Apollo's V12-powered $2.7 million IE hypercar.

Regarding this latest project, he said "I guess I’m starting to get a reputation among people for taking up crazy challenges." Then, we had a chat about some huge question marks, standing next to a pair of evolved Sixteen show cars. Oh, and a 6x6 desert monster which is Devel's idea of a second model.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

When it comes to the first, the plan is to offer the Sixteen at three levels. There's the entry one for $1.6 million, powered by an LS V8 turbo also built by Steve Morris Engines, tuned to 1500 horsepower. For $1.8 million, you enter the V16 club, with 3000 hp on tap. This is the car that should do it all. 320 mph, nice road manners, the lot. Then, there's the 5007 hp racing car which would cost more than $2 million. It's intended for drag racing, and for drag racing alone.

But before all that could happen, Garella just wants to see a working Devel Sixteen prototype in 12 to 14 months from now, designed and built by his company, Manifattura Automobili Torino.



Here's what Garella told us about his latest project and the quest for 320 mph:

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

When you calculate the power that you need, when you’re below 310mph (500 km/h), you can make it with 1500-1800 horsepower. But when you start to go up, you immediately need 2700-3000 horsepower. Otherwise, you’ll not go through, with all the wakes coming in. The drag coefficient goes from 0.3 Cx to 2.5.

I think that is what makes this amazing for me. I mean, to have the possibility to work on something like this, it’s really unique. But I guess I’m starting to get a reputation among people for taking up crazy challenges.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Suspension wise, there aren’t huge loads. Once you make a well-balanced car, you’re able to keep the load on the suspension reasonable. What you have to control is the ride hight and the pitch. We have active systems for both. Again, it’s something that at those speeds gets very complicated. Also, the transition between sub-sonic and supersonic air in many areas.

We have some problems at the rear. Underneath, we have those vortexes that are disturbing the airflow. So, we need to work on those things to optimize the back. There's active aero at the rear. We might modify that wing to be bigger. We are also looking at the rear to find more air extraction, because that is a good way to have more downforce without increasing drag. The packaging of the radiators will be critical, especially when packing 3000 horsepower. That will need a lot of heat dissipation.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

The crazy thing is that only in terms of mechanical losses, you have to count with 500 horsepower just for the transmission. For the V8 and the 3000hp V16, we are developing a dual-clutch. For the 5007 horsepower version, we’ll be using a (drag) racing transmission. Basically, what you end up doing is take a standard unit, and you make the gears bigger and stronger. The 5007 hp is more of a dragster, so you’ll be taking spares anyway. As for the road-going 3000hp V16, I think we’ll be in the area of 320 mph.

At the moment, that’s exactly what we are doing. We are trying to reduce drag, so that we can reach that speed with 3000 hp. The point of doing the 5007 horsepower version is to offer something crazy for drag racing. There are people looking for these kind of cars. More and more people, especially from this (Middle East) area, who are getting involved in drag racing. The big numbers seem to be the deal.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Right now, the world's fastest road car is made by Christian von Koenigsegg, a Swedish innovator who's been at the peak of the automotive game since 1994. While not designed with top speed challenges in mind, his Agera RS can hit 284.3 mph on a public highway, using 1360 horsepower and lightness.

The Devel is aiming for something new: breaking the 500 km/h barrier.

That's either happening in two-three years from now, or we will have to mark down the Sixteen as the case Garella couldn't crack. It certainly wouldn't be the first failed supercar project.



Luckily, Devel already came up with its Plan B: A 6x6 desert truck that's purely a design study at this point, but would be based on a Ford F-350 in production.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

While not involved with this, Paolo did share his thoughts:

The other wheel is exactly what you need in the desert. With this extra axle, they’ve also reduced the wheelbase. More surface area, with shorter wheelbase. Also, no overhang, if you look at it. This is what you need over the dunes. It has clearly been designed by someone who knows what you need for these conditions. It will be carbon bodied too. The concept is very-very interesting. It’s also something manageable. It will not be so expensive. They are thinking about pricing it at $350,000...

A reasonable Devel? Well, that would be a first.

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

Máté Petrány / Road&Track

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