The Devel Sixteen Debuts at the Canadian International Auto Show
We speak with the company’s president about creating the world’s fastest supercar
It’s concurrently easy and difficult to make waves in the world of supercars. Supercars (or hypercars) are extremely powerful, expensive and mostly street-legal—with a design language all their own. Because of this, it’s hard to stand out against other wildly fast, flashy and sophisticated vehicles. One supercar that has managed to garner plenty of attention—even alongside McLaren, Porsche and others—is the Devel Sixteen. Just unveiled for the first time in North America at the 2019 Canadian Auto Show, the Devel Sixteen (created by Dubai-based brothers Majid, Rashid and Mohammad Al Attar) was born out of that desire to stand out. At the auto show, president of Devel, Majid Al Attar tells us, “There are hundreds and hundreds of supercars in the Emirates. It’s nearly impossible to stand out.”
In 2006, he and his two brothers decided to try just that. Backed by their real estate fortune, they started sketching designs—wanting to create a car that not only resembled a fighter jet but had immense power like one. They designed from the backend forward, starting with two exhaust ports based on the F-15 jet. The first design was complete three years later, and in 2013 a prototype was built. Boasting a V16 engine, 5,000 horsepower and a top speed of 310mph, the Devel Sixteen is widely believed to be the fastest car in the world. (The Hennessey Venom F5‘s top speed is 301mph.)
With immense interest from buyers, the company decided to take the machine into production. Despite the fact, as Al Attar tells us, “It was not intended to be a business. Just a passion.”
The street-ready version—which we previewed yesterday—starts at $1.6 million and the waiting list is two years long. But having the financial means doesn’t guarantee a car. Al Attar says, “We’re selective about the buyers. The buyers don’t pick the car. The car picks the buyers.” This is also because, as Al Attar explains, they want to be responsible. With the whopping horsepower available, driving a Devel Sixteen is serious—and the company wants to be sure that responsible drivers are buying the cars.
Ultimately though, the Devel Sixteen is a rare luxury. Al Attar says, “The people that buy these cars are confident and celebrating their success.”
Images by Stephen Knifton
