Bugatti unveils its flagship hypercar, the Divo

Bugatti has revealed its much awaited flagship hypercar, the Divo at the Monterey Car Week, California. With a sticker price of a whopping Euro 5 million (approx 40 crore), the hypercar is limited to 40 examples only, all of which are sold out. The hypercar is named after French racing driver and two-times Targa Florio winner Albert Divo.

The Divo is based on the Chiron and shares its mechanicals, too. The carbon fibre body and chassis of the hypercar are reworked to enhance its handling. The Divo has a menacing front facia with mean looking C-shape LED DRLs stretching back all the way to the front slats on the wheel arches; the massive horseshoe grille dominates the front along with two massive air intakes on either side. The headlamps are housed in a 35mm gap above the lower part of the LED DRLs. The front splitter is newly designed and it provides more downforce and more air to the air inlets to improve cooling. Bugatti has focused more on the car’s handling by playing with the suspension settings, enhancing the aerodynamics of the car and improving the braking performance via better cooling and a wider rear spoiler. To increase the cornering capabilities of the car, Bugatti has added some negative camber to the wheels.

The hypercar has many aerodynamic elements like the redesigned roof which doubles up as a NACA air duct to optimise airflow to the engine. The C- shaped line on the side of the Divo is now smaller and is raised halfway up the door, giving the designers the liberty to work on the aerodynamics on the lower sides of the car. This lower side section also features exposed carbon fibre tinted in a petroleum blue shade called “Divo Carbon”, developed especially for this model. While the Chiron gets a full width tail light milled from a single piece of aluminium, the Divo gets 3D printed tail lights made of 44 ‘fins’ of different sizes. The fins are wider at the outer edge and narrower near the center. They intensity of brightness is more at the outer edge and the lights fade gradually near the center, giving it a striking appearance at the rear.

Air inlets and vanes that direct cold air from the radiators to the brake discs are used to cool the brakes of the Divo independently. Heat shields are used to carry the hot air through the wheels. This system is already seen on Chiron but is tweaked to generate vacuum by the air curtain on the tyres. A new height adjustable rear spoiler is 23 per cent wider than the Chiron. The wider spoiler is used to improve braking and increase downforce, says Bugatti. A further boost to the downforce is provided by the redesigned rear diffuser, which houses the four tailpipes in the centre.

As a result of all the aero elements, a total downforce of 456kg is generated, 90kg more than the Chiron. Bugatti says that the Divo will be 8 seconds faster than the Chiron around the Nardo circuit in Italy that is used to test the handling capabilities of Bugattis. The interiors are similar to that of the Chiron. The satin finish carbon fibre is used in abundance on the inside. You also get a redesigned steering wheel wrapped with Alacantara leather and the exterior two tone paint scheme is reflected on the inside also.

Propelling the Divo is the same 7993cc quad-turbocharged W16 engine, connected to a Ricardo-built 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which sends power to all four wheels. The engine churns out a mind boggling 1,479bhp at 6,700rpm and 1,600Nm. While 100kmph is dispatched in just 2.4 seconds, the top speeed is ‘limited’ to 380kmph, as it doesn’t come with the ‘Top Speed’ mode that the Chiron gets, which would increase the top speed to 420kmph. The choice to not provide the Divo with the ‘Top Speed’ mode is a direct result of the added downforce on the car and the considerable stresses on the tyres due to the same. Also, the negative camber plays its part in the added tyre wear as well. The lower top speed helps protect the tyres better. The Divo tips the scales at 1,995kg and is 35kg lighter than the Chiron by using weight saving materials like carbon fibre and lighter alloys. In its weight reduction spree, Bugatti has also ditched the stowage space in the centre console and on the door trims.

Stephan Winkelmann, the president of Bugatti said, “To date, a modern Bugatti has represented a perfect balance between high performance, straight-line dynamics and luxurious comfort. Within our possibilities, we have shifted the balance in the case of the Divo further towards lateral acceleration, agility and cornering. The Divo is made for bends.”