(April 26, 2020) MOLSHEIM, France — Exceptionally crafted, striking in character, strictly limited and with completely different handling performance — this is an entirely unique project — the Bugatti Divo is truly one of the most breathtaking and exclusive hyper sports cars of modern times. After a rigorous two-year development period, the first models of the coveted small series are now being delivered to customers.

“With the Divo, Bugatti is reviving a long-forgotten coach-building tradition. The limited and extremely high-performance hyper sports car has its own exclusive character, features enhanced lateral acceleration, agility and cornering characteristics and is an absolute must-have for any Bugatti enthusiast’s hyper sports car collection. With the new design of the Divo and its completely different handling performance, we have succeeded in creating a true masterpiece of automotive craftsmanship that fully revives our long-standing tradition of coach-building,” said Stephan Winkelmann, president of Bugatti. Bugatti will build only 40 of the unique Divo — at a net unit price of 5 million euros ($5.4 million).



This means that a challenging development process lasting almost two years is now entering its final phase. “At the beginning of 2018, our aim was to to develop a particularly sporty vehicle as the first project under the leadership of new Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann. We had lengthy discussions – and above all we listened to our customers. Some of them were longing for an agile and corner-hungry car. That’s definitely what the Divo has turned out to be,” said Pierre
Rommelfanger, project manager for limited edition models at Bugatti.

A short time later, a small team of experts began development. The goal they set themselves: the Divo was to be very different from the Chiron — even more exclusive and designed to be more sporty and agile on bends, though without sacrificing comfort and supremacy. A great challenge.
Within a few months an initial design model was created and presented to Chiron owners in Molsheim with explanations provided in one-on-one discussions.

“Every Divo customer owns a Chiron, knows what the brand stands for and is a true Bugatti enthusiast. Our customers instantly understood the sporty approach of the Divo and supported our project,” said Winkelmann. The response has been overwhelming. All 40 Divo cars planned will immediately go to a new owner. “This is a great confirmation for the Bugatti team, who have developed this outstanding vehicle with a huge amount of heart and soul.”

Not surprisingly, the technology  is remarkable. It is powered by the 1,500 PS (1,479 HP)  8.0-liter W16 engine with 1,600 newton meters (1,180 lb-feet of torque), which accelerates the Divo from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.4 seconds.

The journey to get to this point — and beyond — has confronted the entire team with major challenges. After extensive computer simulations, the first prototype completed its first test kilometers about a year after the project started. From the simulation, the engineers know the exact axle load data and can use these figures to design the chassis setup, including the appropriate spring rate. After this, the parameters for damper control are adjusted in small stages in combination with the wheel camber and the re-tuning of the steering system.

To do this, engineers take the car out on various testing grounds, winding roads and race tracks such as the Nürburgring Nordschleife. For chassis development alone they do more than 5,000 kilometers of testing across all speed ranges up to 380 km/h (235 mph) in the three modes “EB,” “Motorway” and “Handling” — adjusting the setup again and again and refining it until all parameters are perfectly matched and the Divo’s agility can no longer be increased.

“Trials are always intense, but with the Divo we’ve managed to refine the setup even further. Every change – no matter how small – was discussed in a small team and then followed up on for checking purposes. Only when all the developers were satisfied did we go about tackling the next task,” explained Lars Fischer, head of Chassis Testing and Application at Bugatti.

The experts achieved this agility by using less weight, more downforce and a more direct chassis setup. This includes a change in wheel camber on the front and rear axles, harder springs and a more front-oriented balance. As a result, the Divo’s top speed is limited to 380 km/h. These measures increase agility, that is to say the vehicle’s response to the steering angle input. In addition, the Divo has shed a total of 35 kilograms in weight as compared to the Chiron thanks to systematic lightweight construction.

The engineers have made full use of the weight reduction to increase downforce, going to the limit of the tires’ load capacity. This gives the Divo 90 kilograms more downforce, increasing this to 456 kilograms at 380 km/h. The result: significantly higher cornering speeds. All in all, the lateral acceleration of the Divo is increased to 1.6 g. As a result, the Divo is able to complete the handling circuit on the Nardò testing ground in southern Italy eight seconds faster than the Chiron — an unprecedented figure.

“The Divo is entirely different to drive than the Chiron, even though both are fitted with the powerful W16 engine. This is particularly evident when driving on roads with plenty of bends. With even more precise steering and greater downforce, the Divo drives through corners even faster and more predictably,” explains Lars Fischer. Despite being a hyper sports car, the Divo remains well suited to everyday use.

In terms of design, too, the Divo also takes on a new path — clearly differentiated from the Chiron yet still instantly recognizable as a Bugatti. The designer team under Achim Anscheidt uncompromisingly configured the body form of the Divo for lateral acceleration, focusing on optimum aerodynamic and thermodynamic efficiency. These include a slimmer sideline and additional air intakes for brake cooling. The extremely compact and lightweight LED headlights with a flat light aperture of only 35 millimeters (1 3/8”) are particularly striking, as are the highly complex 3D tail light modules. These form part of the rear grille, which is partly produced using a 3D printing process and has special lightweight fins.

A total of 44 of these fins illuminate to form the tail light system. In the interior, new sports seats with higher side bolsters hold the occupants securely in their seats even when cornering at very high speeds. The steering wheel is partially covered in Alcantara and has enlarged steering wheel-mounted shift paddles on both sides. This enables drivers to change gears manually and experience even greater driving pleasure.