Here's the Bugatti Divo Like You've Never Seen It Before: Racing Up a Mountain Pass

Revived in the 1980s, Bugatti no longer makes full-size cars and race-spec vehicles. Instead, it focuses on ludicrous hypercars that combine exclusivity and luxury features with high-performance drivetrains.

But while hypercar collectors have embraced both the Veyron and Chiron as million-dollar pieces of art, Bugatti has gotten a lot of heat from diehard fans. Mainly because its supercars are heavy and not exactly nimble on twisty tracks.

The French company answered criticism with the Chiron Pur Sport, a handling-focused model. But it also introduced the Divo, a more track-prepped supercar inspired by the Vision Gran Turismo concept.

Launched in 2019 and scheduled to be built in just 40 units, the Divo sold out on its first day of availability. The final example was produced in July 2021, so all 40 hypercars are with their respective owners as of 2022. And not surprisingly, they're spending more time in heated garages than on race tracks. This means we may never know how capable the Divo really is on race courses like the Laguna Seca or Spa-Francorchamps.

Thankfully, one owner decided to put the supercar through its paces on a twisty course. It's not an iconic race track, but it's difficult enough to give the Divo (and its driver) something to sweat about. I'm talking about the Bernina Pass in Switzerland, which used to host a hillclimb event in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The mountain pass is now part of the Bernina Gran Turismo, an event that pays tribute to the old hillclimb race. It brings together all sorts of vintage and model vehicles, ranging from race-bred classics to modern supercars. This yellow-over-black Divo was arguably the most exotic vehicle showcased at the 2022 edition of the historic hillclimb. And based on the footage below, it had no trouble taking all those hairpin turns at relatively high speeds.

As a brief reminder, the Divo shares underpinnings with the Bugatti Chiron, so it relies on the same quad-turbo, 8.0-liter W16 engine for ludicrous power. The mill generates 1,479 horsepower and uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to send it all to the wheels. The supercar needs only 2.4 seconds to hit 62 mph (100 kph) on its way to a top speed of 236 mph (380 kph).