Photo: Bugatti
Owning one of the 40 Bugatti Divos to be made must be a pretty special experience in and of itself, but owning this particular Divo is one for the history books.
Earlier this year, a very special Bugatti Divo was delivered to the owner. Called Lady Bug, it displays a two-tone, contrasting paint scheme with diamond shapes all around the body, from front to rear. Reports at the time mentioned a $1 million price tag on the custom paintwork alone, which seemed likely, considering the Divo’s original price tag of €5 million ($6 million) before options.
Bugatti has now detailed the process behind this very specific and very challenging custom work. It does not mention the final tally, which should hardly come as a surprise. The work was done for a U.S. car collector who, right after the Divo’s premiere at Pebble Beach in 2018, called to ask if they could make him a one-off example.
That one-off had to include a “geometric-dynamic algorithmic fading pattern” in contrasting metallic tones. After discussions with the customer, two custom shades were created, “Customer Special Red” and “Graphite,” and that, as it turns out, was the easier part of the process.
The customer wanted diamond shapes all around the body of the Divo and, while that sounds like an easy feat in theory, the challenge proved to be transferring the diamond pattern onto the Divo's complicated bodywork. No fewer than two other Bugattis were used as test models, and that too came only after many months working in CAD on a model that could transfer to the distinctive shape of a Bugatti without distortion and creases or folds.
When designers were able to match the CAD model with the reality, the diamonds were transferred onto film and then onto the Divo. Before “Graphite” and clear coat were applied, each of the 1,600 shapes had to be checked, reshaped, or rearranged by hand. At the end, the paintwork was sanded, smoothed, re-checked, retouched, and then sanded once more—all of it with the greatest care not to disrupt or otherwise damage the pattern.
The process was so complicated and challenging that even Bugatti was this close to throwing in the towel. “After numerous failed ideas and attempts to apply the diamonds, we were close to giving up and saying ‘we cannot meet the customer’s request,’” Jorg Grumer, Bugatti Chief of Color & Trim, says. “However, it is our profound conviction that we should never give up, and that our foremost motivation should always be to make the impossible possible for the customer.”
Bugatti says other personal touches are included in the Lady Bug, but makes no mention of them.
In the end, the customer was thrilled with how the Divo came out. “I was absolutely floored upon delivery,” the owner says. “Working with the Bugatti design team on the Lady Bug’s production was an exceptional experience, not only in the true dedication to the flawless execution of the one-of-a-kind design, but also in the dedication at all levels involved in the final presentation of the vehicle. Not only is the vehicle a true masterpiece and work of art, but it is the true height of my collection to date, and the most intricate and well developed vehicle I have owned.”
Bugatti has now detailed the process behind this very specific and very challenging custom work. It does not mention the final tally, which should hardly come as a surprise. The work was done for a U.S. car collector who, right after the Divo’s premiere at Pebble Beach in 2018, called to ask if they could make him a one-off example.
That one-off had to include a “geometric-dynamic algorithmic fading pattern” in contrasting metallic tones. After discussions with the customer, two custom shades were created, “Customer Special Red” and “Graphite,” and that, as it turns out, was the easier part of the process.
The customer wanted diamond shapes all around the body of the Divo and, while that sounds like an easy feat in theory, the challenge proved to be transferring the diamond pattern onto the Divo's complicated bodywork. No fewer than two other Bugattis were used as test models, and that too came only after many months working in CAD on a model that could transfer to the distinctive shape of a Bugatti without distortion and creases or folds.
When designers were able to match the CAD model with the reality, the diamonds were transferred onto film and then onto the Divo. Before “Graphite” and clear coat were applied, each of the 1,600 shapes had to be checked, reshaped, or rearranged by hand. At the end, the paintwork was sanded, smoothed, re-checked, retouched, and then sanded once more—all of it with the greatest care not to disrupt or otherwise damage the pattern.
The process was so complicated and challenging that even Bugatti was this close to throwing in the towel. “After numerous failed ideas and attempts to apply the diamonds, we were close to giving up and saying ‘we cannot meet the customer’s request,’” Jorg Grumer, Bugatti Chief of Color & Trim, says. “However, it is our profound conviction that we should never give up, and that our foremost motivation should always be to make the impossible possible for the customer.”
Bugatti says other personal touches are included in the Lady Bug, but makes no mention of them.
In the end, the customer was thrilled with how the Divo came out. “I was absolutely floored upon delivery,” the owner says. “Working with the Bugatti design team on the Lady Bug’s production was an exceptional experience, not only in the true dedication to the flawless execution of the one-of-a-kind design, but also in the dedication at all levels involved in the final presentation of the vehicle. Not only is the vehicle a true masterpiece and work of art, but it is the true height of my collection to date, and the most intricate and well developed vehicle I have owned.”
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