After a long teaser campaign, Bugatti revealed the Divo today under the Californian sun at Pebble Beach. Whichever way you look at the Chiron-based special edition, there’s no other way of describing this hypercar except for “spectacular.”
35 kilograms (77 pounds) lighter than the Chiron, the Divo products 90 kilograms (198 pounds) more downforce thanks to the extreme aerodynamic trickery. These add-ons don’t help with top speed, Bugatti announcing that the 1,500-horsepower quad-turbo W16 is limited to 380 km/h (236 mph).
What you lose in maximum velocity, Bugatti is much obliged to return in the corners. On the Nardo handling circuit in Italy, for example, the Divo is eight seconds faster per lap than the Chiron. If you’re planning on buying one for a cool €5 million, you’re out of luck. All 40 examples are sold out, and chances are the value of the Divo will go up thanks to the car’s exclusive character.
To be homologated as a road vehicle, the newcomer features “the modern interpretation” of the French company’s “coachbuilding tradition.” It’s a bit curious to mention coachbuilding in this context, more so if you remember that all of the classic Bugatti models out there don’t feature an ounce of carbon fiber in their structure.
Care to guess how much lateral acceleration the Divo is capable of pulling in the twisties? Make that 1.6 g, the highest of any Bugatti ever made. “The Divo is a further project intended to thrill people and the world,” declared Stephan Winkelmann, chief executive officer of the Volkswagen Group-owned brand. “Our fans are very important to us.”
As a brief refresher, the name of the car comes from Albert Divo. The Frenchman trained as a mechanic before World War I came around, guns blazing. Having served his country as a pilot with the French Air Force, Divo returned to what he loved most. Having won the Targa Florio twice with Bugatti, it’s no wonder why this car pays homage to the man.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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