By any measure, the Bugatti Divo is already a marvel of engineering. But this particular example chassis # VF9SD3V34LM795015 is especially significant, because it’s the first Divo being offered at public auction. When it crosses the block at The Quail, this Divo, being offered by Bonhams Cars (Lot 196) at no reserve, with fewer than 800 miles on the clock, could fetch between $7.0 and $9.0 million based on early estimates. That’s no surprise for a machine as rare, radical, and revered as this one.
Earlier this month, we reported on a Bollide, another ultra-limited Bugatti going under the hammer for an estimated $6.0 million. While that one is a track-only, no-rules hypercar, built for circuit domination, the Divo, on the other hand, is street-legal. However, let’s be honest, this car isn’t likely to rack up much mileage either. It’s destined for climate-controlled collections, hypercar concours gatherings, and the occasional adrenaline-filled canyon run or track-day stint, if that.
This particular example, with contrasting racing blue accents and the French tricolor, was delivered new to a Florida collector in 2020; it was later displayed at the Petersen Museum’s Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme exhibit. Currently fitted with aftermarket alloys for presentation, the car comes with its original wheels and documents.
But for some context about what makes the Divo so exclusive and collectible, we need to rewind about seven years. Unveiled in 2018 at Pebble Beach, ironically, very close to the venue where it will go under the hammer for the first time in a few weeks from now, the Divo can be best described as a more aggressive evolution of the Chiron.
Same chassis, same 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 putting out an identical 1,479 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque, but with a totally reimagined body and mission. Bugatti set out to create a machine with sharper handling, more downforce, and greater agility. The Divo’s top speed at 236 mph is lower than the Chiron’s 261 mph, but around the 3.85-mile handling loop at the Nardò ring in southern Italy, it was a full eight seconds quicker than the standard Chiron.
As for the name, Albert Divo, the French driver who won the Targa Florio twice for Bugatti back in the 1920s, this hyper sports car also revived Bugatti’s long-standing tradition of in-house coachbuilding. Every line and intake on the aggressive Divo’s bodywork, from the wider air inlets and large front splitter to the dramatic roof-mounted NACA duct and active rear wing, serves a purpose.
At 1,005 pounds, the Divo generates 198 pounds more downforce than the Chiron and weighs 77 pounds less, thanks to carbon fiber components, thinner glass, and even carbon-fiber wipers, tipping the scales at 4,323 pounds.
Inside, it’s a study in lightweight luxury. Alcantara dominates the cabin, the Divo Blue accents flow into the sculpted seats, and even the paddle shifters are enlarged for quick engagement. There’s a quiet nod to history with Rembrandt Bugatti’s elephant emblem on the passenger seat.
With only 40 units made, all of which were offered exclusively to Chiron owners and sold out even before the aforementioned public reveal at Pebble Beach, it presents collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire something really special. Cars like the Divo rarely surface on the market, and, along with the Bolide and the Mistral, it remains a jewel in Bugatti’s modern portfolio from the Pïech-era, with Tourbillon embarking on the next chapter.
Source: Bonhams Cars