The new Bugatti Divo hypercar is the French company’s most extreme production they’ve ever created. In fact, The Divo can accomplish a lap around the Nardò handling circuit eight seconds quicker than the Chiron. Stephan Winkelmann, Bugatti President, put it bluntly: “The Divo has significantly higher performance in terms of lateral acceleration, agility and cornering. The Divo is made for corners.”
Bugatti unveiled the car at “The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering“ in Monterey, California. The name Divo comes from French racing driver Albert Divo. He was a two-time Targa Florio race winner in the late 1920’s and drove for Bugatti.
Engine
The Bugatti Divo’s engine is the company’s eight-liter W16 that’s capable of 1,479 horsepower. While that number is the same as the Chiron, the Divo sees its upgrades in the form of other modifications. Still, this is one of the most monstrous engines being produced and can rocket the car to a limited top speed of 236. Could it go faster? Most certainly, but then you have to worry about tire wear, fuel usage and so forth.
Brakes
As stated before, the Divo is was meant for corners and one thing you need for great cornering is good brakes that don’t overheat. To ensure the brakes don’t overheat, Bugatti implemented new cooling sources. Four air source on each side of the Divo cool the brakes, and there are even vanes that direct air right onto the brake discs. There’s also a heat shield that pushes hot air out through the wheels.
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Steering and Suspension
Brakes may be important for corners, but it means nothing without proper suspension and steering. Bugatti’s engineers modified the steering and suspension to be more precise and direct in its response. Bugatti did not specify the changes made to the suspension and steering, but they did note that the suspension changes did help drop the overall weight of the car.
Design and Aerodynamics
When taking corners, cars have to be completely grounded and that’s made possible through downforce. Naturally, Bugatti introduced a slew of aerodynamic components in the Divo that results in 198 lbs more downforce than the Chiron. In the front are air intakes that Bugatti says reduces “the effective cross-sectional area of the vehicle at the same time as ensuring improved air flow at the front and increasing aerodynamic efficiency.” There’s also a new front spoiler that pushes air to the air inlets on the sides, as well as a new air curtain design for better airflow along the rear sides of the Divo. In the rear is a wing that’s six feet wide and rests at a fixed height. This wing adjusts for braking and for the different driving modes.
Weight
Bugatti went all out to drop the weight of the Divo. The new wheels, carbon fiber intercooler cover, reduced amount of insulation material, removal of the storage compartments in the center console and door trims, modified chassis and suspension, and fixed front diffuser flaps all work together to help drop the weight of the car. The total loss, when compared to the Chiron is 77 lbs.
Price and Availability
The Bugatti Divo price is set at €5 million, which equates to roughly $5.8 million USD. Bugatti has limited the production of the Divo to just 40 examples, all of which are spoken for.
Quotes
“The Divo is a further project intended to thrill people and the world. Our fans are very important to us.” – Stephan Winkelmann, Bugatti President
“When I took up my position at Bugatti at the beginning of the year, I soon learned that our customers and fans were waiting for a special vehicle which would tell a further story for the brand in addition to the Chiron. The Bugatti team was also very eager to implement a project like this.” – Stephan Winkelmann, Bugatti President
“The modern interpretation of coachbuilding gave us engineers new freedom. The step that we have taken with the Divo in terms of agility and high-performance cornering dynamics can be compared with the overall development from the Veyron to the Chiron.“ – Stefan Ellrott, Head of Technical Development at Bugatti
“The Divo is a further example of our design philosophy ‘Form follows Performance‘. In this case, the engineers and designers aimed to create a vehicle focusing on cornering speeds and lateral dynamics.” – Achim Anscheidt, Director of Design of Bugatti
