Dubai has some of the tallest buildings and the best hotels in the world, and as of next year, the emirate might even have one of the fastest cars in the world.
The Devel Sixteen, unveiled by Defining Extreme Vehicles Car Industry at the Dubai International Motor Show last month, had the entire motoring industry wondering what in the world was going on in the almost non-existent automobile manufacturing sector in Dubai.
“When my brothers and I were children, we had an idea,” says Rashid Al Attar, Vice-President of Defining Extreme Vehicles Car Industry, creators of the Devel Sixteen. “We wondered why Dubai didn’t produce its own car. We said that one day we would do it. Everybody was laughing at us, everybody said no way, leave it to the US and the other countries. And now, that day has arrived."
“This is like a childhood dream come true. Everything about this car has been kept secret ever since 2006.”
He and his brothers own a wide collection of classic and exotic cars — this includes an original Batmobile. Al Attar says each one of his cars has its advantages and disadvantages. And it is these minor disadvantages that led them to build the ultimate vehicle.
“We are here not to make another sports car, we are here to make history and break all the records. We want to make this car as near to perfection as possible. We want to make a new class, not just a sports car but an extreme sports car, and by extreme I mean it should reach above 400km/h,” says Al Attar.
Everything related to the Sixteen, except for the tyres, will be made in Dubai. The chassis is constructed with carbon fibre and aluminium, while the body is completely carbon fibre. The engine is a V16 fitted with four turbochargers. And Al Attar says the 5,000 HP supercar, capable of pushing speeds of more than 500km/h, is one you can use daily.
“Using a 5,000HP car daily is dangerous, but we have safety measures in place; a normal driving position shuts down eight cylinders and it will be eight cylinders limited to 1,000HP instead of 5,000HP. Even with that 1,000HP it can beat most of the other cars,” he says.
The car, inspired by an F16 fighter jet, was designed by Al Attar and his brothers themselves. “We are going to open a car factory in Jebel Ali to produce this car and the customers can custom-order almost everything. We want the customer to feel special, that he has something unique,” he says. Set to launch in a year’s time, the Devel Sixteen will enjoy a limited-edition run.“We have to select the buyers as well because the buyer will get a piece of Dubai history,” says Al Attar.
