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10 Things You Didn't Know about The Bugatti Divo

In 2018, Bugatti unveiled the Divo to the public. Well, we say the public... the unveiling happened in front of a select group of hand-selected Chiron owners at an invitation-only event. But still, it made the headlines, and in August 2020, it made them again when the first Divo rolled out of the factory. This July, the last of the 40 units was sent off to its lucky new owner. Although it shares a lot of the same kit as the Chiron, the Divo is a much more performance-driven offering, with enhanced aerodynamics, improved handling, and faster lap times. If you want to find out more, check out these 10 things you didn't know about the Bugatti Divo.

1. It costs almost twice as much as the Chiron

If you thought the Chiron was expensive, just wait till you hear how much the Divo costs. For the privilege of getting your hands on Bugatti's latest motor, you'll need to hand over $5.8 million. The real kick in the teeth? The only way you can get a Divo in the first place is by owning a Chiron. If you haven't already got a few million dollars worth of shiny metal sitting in your driveway, forget about adding any more to it. But Stephan Winkelmann is no one's fool. The Bugatti President knows exactly how much his customers are prepared to shell out for a top drawer motor, as our next point proves.

2. There are only 40 in the world

If you've got $5.8 million in spare change floating around the back of your sofa, you might think of using it towards a shiny new Divo. In which case, bad luck. While Bugatti was generous enough to give the world 500 Chirons, it's decided to keep the number of Divos to just 40. Seeing as that'll still bring in a quarter of a billion for the company, you can't really blame them. All 40 of the cars were pre-sold before the car was even unveiled at its invitation-only public debut.

3. It's built for corners

As motorgeeks.com notes, the Divo might be a touch slower on the top end than the Chiron, but it handles corners like a pro. Thanks to the improved aerodynamics, the Divo has an extra 90kg of downforce over the Chiron, which increases the pressure on the tires and leads to an 8 second per lap edge on the racetrack. Speaking about the Divo's attitude to bends, Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann explained it “has significantly higher performance in terms of lateral acceleration, agility and cornering. The Divo is made for corners.”

4. It's lighter than the Chiron

At 4,398 lbs, the Divio is 77 pounds lighter than the Chiron. The weight loss came by way of a lighter sound system, lighter wheels, fixed front diffuser flaps, and a carbon-fiber intercooler cover. According to the Divo Project Leader Pierre Rommelfanger, they'd have liked to have made it even lighter but were restricted by the fact the Chiron is made primarily from carbon-fiber. “You could have done some things more extreme, but I think that’s not matching our customer expectation," he added.

5. The name was inspired by a French racing driver

Albert Divo was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver who drove a Bugatti Type 35 to victories in the 1928 and 1929 Targa Florio. Over 50 years after his death, Bugatti decided to pay tribute to him by naming their latest car in his honor. As Top Speed points out, Divo was a Frenchman of Italian descent... much like Ettore Bugatti himself.

6. It's got a unique color code

When it comes to the detail, Bugatti hasn't left a single stone unturned on the Divo. Even its internal color scheme has been carefully planned out to highlight that this is a performance car that keeps the focus squarely on the driver experience. While the passenger side is swathed in black, the driver seat is studded with blue details. The pattern is repeated elsewhere: any part that's been highlighted with blue is for function; any part that's silver is for design.

7. It's got the same engine as the Chiron

As Wikipedia notes, the Chiron borrowed its 7,993 cc (8.0 L) quad-turbocharged W16 engine from the Veyron, albeit after making some major updates. Bugatti clearly likes it, and hasn't seen the need to bother with a different piece of kit for the Divo. The seven-speed, twin-clutch gearbox is also the same. As a result, both cars deliver the same number of ponies (1,479 bhp) and the same 2.4 second 0-100 km/h acceleration time.

8. It's an aerodynamic dream

To give the Divo an edge over the Chiron (after all, something has to justify that $2.8 million price difference), Bugatti has gone to town on the Divo's aerodynamics. The car's six-foot-wide, hydraulically assisted, fully active rear wing is a full 25 percent wider than the Chiron's. As a result, it can adjust to conditions and provide an increased downforce to improve performance, especially when it comes to taking bends. To improve matters even further, the roof has been specially shaped to force air down towards the wing for enhanced efficiency.

9. The design is inspired by the Type 57SC Atlantic

To help shape its vision for the Divo, Bugatti revisited its back pages. The car it landed on was the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. With its low, prowling stance, lightweight, teardrop body, powerful engine, and superlative performance, the 57SC is widely considered to be the first supercar ever made. In fairness, the resemblance isn't obvious, but in terms of performance, the similarities speak for themselves.

10. It's already been supplanted

The Divo was unveiled in 2018, but Bugatti didn't finish fine-tuning some of the details until summer 2020. The first of its 40 pre-ordered cars began shipping in August, with the final one rolling out of the factory on July 23, 2021. But while the paint may still be fresh, Bugatti has already moved on. Its next project is the Bugatti Bolide, a limited edition, 2,733-pound track car that already looks set to trounce the Divo in terms of both acceleration and lap times. Considering the Divo cost a full $2.8 million more than its predecessor, we can only shudder at how much Bugatti might add to the Bolide's price tag. Better start saving...

Benjamin Smith

Written by Benjamin Smith

Benjamin Smith is one of the managing editors of Moneyinc. Ben's been focusing on the auto and motorcycle sector since 2005. He's written over 1000 articles in the space and continues to learn about it each day. His favorite car is "any Bugatti" and he's a die hard Harley Davidson fan.

Read more posts by Benjamin Smith

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