Devel Sixteen's 5,000-hp V16 engine might be real

We called the Devel Sixteen "the king of lofty statistics" during its debut at the 2013 Dubai Motor Show in part because of the claimed 5,000-horsepower quad-turbo V16. However, a video from the project's engine builder makes that unbelievable figure seem possible. A company called Steve Morris Engines is still developing the immense powerplant, but a dyno graph in the clip shows 3,006 horsepower on pump gas from an early version at 20 psi of boost. The figures reach a staggering 4,515 hp and 3,519 pound-feet of torque on race fuel and 36 psi of boost.

Alex Esnaola from Steve Morris Engines tells Autoblog that the fabled 5,000 horsepower "wouldn't take much more boost" from the 12.36-liter (754-cubic-inch) turbocharged V16. The company intends gradually to work up to that point over many more dyno pulls to develop the mill into a working prototype. The experimental powerplant features many unique, one-piece billet parts that wouldn't be easy to replace. For example, the crankshaft alone took about seven and a half months to make, Esnaola said.

The Devel Sixteen's performance claims of zapping to 62 miles per hour in 1.8 seconds and a 348 mile-per-hour top speed still seem lofty. However, maybe we shouldn't completely write off the stats with such a powerful engine deep into development.

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