What's the news?
So, you're in the market for a €2.5 million (before taxes), 1,500hp Bugatti Chiron, but you're thinking 'I just wish it was as good at going around corners as it was at blasting down a runway at 400km/h.' Well, good news; Bugatti has confirmed that it's working on a Chiron with sharper handling, and it's going to be unveiled in August at 'The Quail' - an exclusive supercar fan gathering in California.
"Happiness is not around the corner. It is the corner. The Divo is made for corners," says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles. "With the Divo, we want to thrill people throughout the world. 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."
With an expected price tag of around €5 million (before taxes), only 40 Divos will be made (the name comes from Bugatti raver Albert Divo, who took the marque to victory at the Targa Florio in 1928 and 1929) and the expected modifications look likely to include some weight-saving, suspension changes, and what Bugatti refers to as "enormous downforce and G-forces."
Does that mean that the top speed of the Divo is likely to be lower that that of the standard car? It's certainly possible, but then it looks as if the Divo is aimed at those Chiron owners who want to take their cars to track days (because, sure, that's a thing that happens) so the ultimate top speed is pretty academic - there are few, if any, race tracks where a Chiron can actually hit its top speed anyway.
There are also rumours that Bugatti wants to wrest the production car lap record at the Nurburgring, currently held by Chinese electric supercar the Nio EP9.
Whatever the purpose of the Divo, it will be built by Bugatti's newly revived in-house special car can coachbuilding arm, and Bugatti claims that: "The result will be outstanding handling properties and the dynamic character of the car will be underlined by a new, strong design language."
We'll find out more on the 25th of August.