Devinci DB720: vintage charm but electric motor

In the world of sports cars almost all brands are involved in an endless race for power. Performance improves year after year, as does cornering speed, thanks to new tire technology. To the point where the potential of these vehicles becomes unusable on the road. There are a few exceptions such as the Alpine A110 or the Secma F16 Turbo. But even if these two machines rely on lightness more than the number of horses, they reach incredible speeds too easily. “We wanted to get out of this race for power,” says Jonathan Rouanet, commercial director of Devinci. “Pure performance comes at the expense of driving pleasure and build quality. We create works of art on wheels.”

Talking about a rolling work of art is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, while BMW is selling a car designed by Jeff Koons! But the care with which Devinci are made is evident. The DB720 Brigitte we tested is different noble materials : body made of aluminum sheet, running boards, pedals and grille machined from aluminum block, wooden floor, leather upholstery, cork aluminum dashboard … Everything is pleasing to the eye and reminiscent of old cars. Because if Devinci are really modern cars, their style is clearly inspired by the racing cars of the interwar period. In its first achievement, unveiled in 2018, D417, a small brand created by driver Jean-Philippe Dairault, went even further with rigid axles and leaf springs. From next year, the DB718 received regular springs, a single wishbone axle and a wider interior for more comfort. Convenience has gained what the line has lost in elegance.

Bugatti Type 35 appearance but modern car template

Today, Devinci vehicles are still similar to the DB718. If the brand has continuous improvement policy and that the number changes with each release year, the new DB720 we tested stays very close to the DB718 and even closer to the DB721 that takes its place. Despite the fact that the car seems small in the photos, it shows itself surprisingly impressive in reality3.91 long and, most importantly, 1.77 m wide. The size, clearly superior to the Bugatti Type 35 or Morgan 3-Wheeler, corresponds to a universal city car, the track width cannot but surprise for such a low car, devoid of a roof and any rain protection.

In the world of sports cars almost all brands are involved in an endless race for power. Performance improves year after year, as does cornering speed, thanks to new tire technology. To the point where the potential of these vehicles becomes unusable on the road. There are a few exceptions such as the Alpine A110 or the Secma F16 Turbo. But even if these two machines rely on lightness more than the number of horses, they reach incredible speeds too easily. “We wanted to get out of this race for power,” says Jonathan Rouanet, commercial director of Devinci. “Pure performance comes at the expense of driving pleasure and build quality. We create works of art on wheels.”

Talking about a rolling work of art is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, while BMW is selling a car signed by Jeff Koons. But the care with which Devinci are made is evident. The DB720 Brigitte we tested is different noble materials: body made of aluminum sheet, running boards, pedals and grille machined from aluminum block, wooden floor, leather upholstery, cork aluminum dashboard … Everything is pleasing to the eye and reminiscent of old cars. Because if Devinci are really modern cars, their style is clearly inspired by the racing cars of the interwar period. In its first achievement, unveiled in 2018, D417, a small brand created by driver Jean-Philippe Dairault, went even further with rigid axles and leaf springs. From next year, the DB718 received regular springs, a single wishbone axle and a wider interior for more comfort. Convenience has gained what the line has lost in elegance.

Bugatti Type 35 appearance but modern car template

Today, Devinci vehicles are still similar to the DB718. If the brand has continuous improvement policy and that the number changes with each release year, the new DB720 we tested stays very close to the DB718 and even closer to the DB721 that takes its place. Despite the fact that the car seems small in the photos, it shows itself surprisingly impressive in reality, 3.91 long and, above all, 1.77 m wide. Clearly larger than a Bugatti Type 35 or a Morgan 3-Wheeler, the size is in line with a versatile city car, the width of the tracks is surprising for such a low machine, devoid of a roof and no protection from the rain.

Taking apart the Devinci DB720 is an interesting experience. In search of the purest possible line, Jean-Philippe Dairault made an unusual technical choice. That’s how rocker suspensions that allow you to hide the combined spring-shock absorbers behind bars. If we open the front cover, we will stumble upon a vacuum. Or, more precisely, a depth-adjustable bottom bracket. The rear visor, which accommodates a large trunk, is removable to provide access to the asynchronous electric motor placed between the wheels. This testifies to the ideal centering of the masses, the battery located under the seats in the center of the car. This one, with a capacity of 23 kWh, promises, according to the manufacturer, a power reserve of just over 200 km. It’s a pity, charging is slow, we are content with a 7 kW AC charger.

Thanks to the enlarged cabin of the DB720, crossed by a longitudinal beam that acts as a support, getting on board is easy, even if this requires special gymnastics. Sitting, tall people will be comfortable, small ones will have to stretch their arms. From the first turn of the wheel, we are overwhelmed by the comfort. Suspension peacefully absorbs the relief of the road. It must be said that the car is light, which also made it possible to reduce the pressure in the tires (1.5 bar in front, 2.0 bar in the rear). They were selected with the help of the Michelin Historical Department. True, designed for cars with much higher performance than Devinci (their performance index is 270 km / h, they are designed, in particular for the Jaguar Type C), they fit perfectly into the style of the car and have an advantage over rubbers designed for modern cars to provide less grip for driving pleasure.

Power 20 hp Like Renault Twizy!

It was necessary for Devinci not to develop a too suitable chassis. Given the lines of the car, the lack of electronic assistants and the open body, it was impossible to homologate it as a passenger car. Thus, the small manufacturer retained the category of heavy quadricycles, an administrative unit also chosen by Renault Twizy or Nosmoke. This removes security restrictions, but has a counterpart limit engine power to 20 hp. True, this limitation only applies to continuous power (measured over 20 minutes), which allows you to exceed this value for short periods of time for greater agility in accelerations. Devinci plays with this parameter depending on the driving modes, but refuses to report the peak power value for each card.

In the entry-level version of the Brigitte that we got to try (sold for 66,000 euros without options), the acceleration is enough to offer a pleasant experience in sport mode, but not to mention sports: We measured acceleration from 0 to 50 km/h in about 5 seconds and from 0 to 100 km/h in 13 seconds. On dry pavement, 75 Nm of torque is not enough to make the rear axle sway under acceleration. For more vivacity, you have to choose the very exclusive Marianne (10 copies a year each sold for 180,000 euros), which has a Sport + mode, where the increase in acceleration is higher.

The Devinci DB720 has no choice but to get away from it all to seduce, held back by administrative rules that don’t make it a sprinter. And she does it brilliantly. Large steering wheel high-speed steering will take you on a journey through timewithout sacrificing accuracy. Despite the small windshield, protruding only a few centimeters from the apron, the wind protection looks as correct as possible. We take great pleasure in watching the landscape float by in silence, barely broken by the slight, rather pleasant hiss of the electric motor. In corners, the chassis is exceptionally balanced, and the choice of tires reveals all its relevance: you can make the car drift at will by playing with the brakes and mass transfer. Very quickly we get addicted to the game, leaning into the corners like the pilots of a great era. Driving a Devinci is like no other. And that’s exactly what we ask of him.

Many thanks to Arnaud Darras for lending his Devinci.