---
title: "Acceleration Video Shows the Insane 5,000-Horsepower Devel Sixteen Hypercar Is Real"
description: "The automotive world is littered with fantastic plans for boutique, world-beating supercars that never get past the vaporware stage. But probably the biggest cloud of all right now has apparently condensed into liquid form."
date: "2018-04-19"
modified: "2018-04-19"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/20253/acceleration-test-video-shows-the-insane-5000-horsepower-devel-sixteen-is-real"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "acceleration"
  - "devel"
  - "devel sixteen"
  - "Dubai"
  - "Supercar"
  - "v-16"
---

# Acceleration Video Shows the Insane 5,000-Horsepower Devel Sixteen Hypercar Is Real

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/devel-16.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The automotive world is littered with fantastical plans for boutique, world-beating supercars that never get past the vaporware stage. But probably the biggest cloud of all right now has apparently condensed into liquid form: A new acceleration test shows the [5,000-horsepower, 310-mph, V-16-engined Devel Sixteen](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/15899/the-5000-horsepower-300-mph-devel-sixteen-is-finally-happening>) is very real, and very quick.

Those comic-book stats have raised a lot of skeptical eyebrows since the project was announced back in 2013, but things kicked into overdrive last year with [video of a successful test run](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15827/watch-this-extreme-12-3-liter-quad-turbo-5000-hp-v-16-engine-get-dyno-tested>) of the quad-turbo, 12.3-liter V-16 (built by drag racing shop Steve Morris Engines), plus a splashy reveal at the Dubai Motor Show. Of course, getting that massive engine to run *in situ* is a slightly more complex task, but this new video shows engineers have the prototype up and running.

https://youtube.com/embed/yvyVnnS0TD4

The car doesn't quite launch off the line, but it starts gathering speed after a second as the burbly V-16 gains steam and the quad turbos kick in. The video description notes the driver was only using 20 percent of the throttle, so we'll have to wait and see what the full-on experience looks and sounds like, but it's certainly a start.

It's worth remembering that a pulling off [a successful acceleration test](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/16222/tesla-roadster-acceleration-shows-musk-isnt-blowing-hot-air>) is not the same thing as building a production-ready car, and Devel has said the completed version won't be ready for at least another year. [Then there's the issue of tires,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/11781/the-1479-hp-bugatti-chiron-could-hit-280-mph-if-the-tires-can-keep-up>) as no production tire on the market right now can handle the insane speeds being promised here. But if and when everything is finally sorted out, incredibly rich customers will be able to choose between a 2,000-horsepower V8 option, a detuned 3,000-HP V-16 option, and the ultimate 5,000-HP non-road-legal package.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)