Bugatti Divo previewed ahead of August 24 reveal

    Production of track-focused, Chiron-based hypercar limited to 40 units; to be unveiled at the Quail Motorsports Gathering later this month.

    Published On Aug 21, 2018 07:00:00 AM

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    Bugatti has shown its Chiron-based Divo hypercar under a sheet ahead of its launch on August 24, 2018. The car's shape and some of its proportions have been made clear before its styling is revealed next week.

    A few details of the Divo have been revealed so far; but the latest glimpse of the hypercar under a silk sheet suggests that the car will have a large stability fin at the back, as well as a dominant wing extending past the back of its diffuser. The car's window line is completely distinct to that of the Chiron, with a rising shoulder underneath it, extending down from the back of the glass to the very front of the car. The wheel arches pull tension in the fabric, which suggests that they're sharply extended from the main body.

    A previous shot of the £4.42million machine's rear lights can be seen in a video released on social media. This video also shows the outline of a large wing. Head of exterior design, Frank Heyl, also revealed that the Divo will move forward from Bugatti's current design to further develope Bugatti design DNA features and also "take the opportunity to exercise our freedom and create a completely new form language.”

    In a clip recently released by the brand, Divo project manager Pierre Rommelfanger confirmed that the car will be lightweight, downforce-focused and generate more G-force than the Chiron. However, the brand has confirmed that the car is intended for road and track, alike.

    Another shot showing embroidered branding for the car reveals none of the performance-boosting revisions over the Chiron, but the hashtag ‘Built for corners’ suggests a set-up more suited to track driving than outright speed. “Happiness is not around the corner. It is the corner. The Divo is made for corners. With the Divo, we want to thrill people throughout the world," said Bugatti boss Stephan Winkelmann. Bugatti also lauds the car's "enormous downforce and G-forces".

    The car is named after French racer Albert Divo, who won the 1928 and 1929 Targa Florio for Bugatti. “With this project, the Bugatti team has an opportunity to interpret the brand DNA in terms of agile, nimble handling in a significantly more performance-oriented way," said Winkelmann.

    With the Divo set to be revealed at The Quail Motorsports Gathering later this summer, Bugatti confirms that Divo will be the first project undertaken by its newly resurrected coachbuilding division. "New, strong design language" suggests its look will be notably distinct from that of the regular Chiron. The hypercar will add to the series of editions that starts with the standard Chiron and continues to the more lightweight, hardcore Chiron Sport.

    The Divo, like the Chiron Sport, is expected to get no alterations to Bugatti's 1,479bhp quad-turbo 8.0-litre W16; but light-weighting measures, downforce-boosting bodywork, upgraded suspension and other corner-friendly mechanical tweaks are confirmed.

    It’s likely that the Divo will complete the Bugatti's line-up for the foreseeable future, considering that it will be the third variant launched in two years. The carmaker will charge a heavy premium over the other two models, owing to its exclusive 40-unit production run.

    Last year, the Bugatti Chiron set the record for the 0-400kph-0 run with a time of 41.96sec, a record broken by the Koenigsegg Agera twice, a few weeks later. Koenigsegg also broke the production car speed record, which has remained unchallenged by Bugatti.

    Although Bugatti hasn’t hinted at any motorsport intentions with the Divo, it would likely be a contender for the production car Nürburgring lap record. It would have to beat the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ’s time of 6:44.97. Other Volkswagen Group record holders include the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the Lamborghini Huracán Performante and the Porsche 918 Spyder.

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