Video: watch a 4,500bhp quad-turbo V16 engine go mad on a dyno

At the 2013 Dubai Auto Show, Devel – a Dubai-based hypercar manufacturer – threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the Fast Car World.

It unveiled the ‘Sixteen’, a 5,000bhp prototype with an intended capacity to reach 60mph from a standstill in 1.8 seconds, and top out at 348mph.

Yeah right, we thought. It'll never happen, we thought. Our cynicism however, has been partially vanquished, largely thanks to the video above. They’ve actually gone and made an engine. A big, fat turbo'd lump with lots and lots of power.

Crafted by Steve Morris Engines, the Sixteen’s heart is a massive billet of aluminium cut into a V16 block. Not two V8s together, as some might think. Then come four monstrous 81mm turbos, a whopper one-piece crankshaft, gigantic intake manifold, and some impressive stats.

When strapped down to a suitably huge dyno and in ‘street mode’ the quad-turbo V16 chucked out 3,000 bhp on normal fuel. On high-strength race fuel and with ‘beast’ mode engaged? 4,500 bhp and over 3,500 lb-ft of torque.

Not quite the full 5,000bhp, but a pretty big blanket to calm the internet hate flames for a few more years. Now comes the hard part of transferring that power into an actual, real-life 0-60mph time of 1.8s. According to its makers, they know it’s a challenge and, "have studied very hard".

Judging by the fit and finish of the prototype – and the general insanity surrounding engineering – we think some more studying may be needed if it wants to crush the Bugatti Veyron and Hennessey Venom. There’s more than a hint of Lamborghini Veneno at the front, Batmobile at the back and sixth form D&T project from the cabin.

Although we don't have a set of scales to hand, we’re inclined to think that mighty quad-turbo V16 is heavy. And big. And we all know that no matter how much power you have, weight is also a critical factor in making a record-breaking fast car. As is aero. And that looks a bit, er, flimsy.

But, we’ve been proved wrong once. So it could happen it again. If it does, we definitely want whatever the developers sprinkle on their Fruit Loops in morning.