This Bugatti Divo Was Showcased at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Now It Could Fetch $9 Million.

Presented by Bonhams|Cars on August 15, the 2020 example is one of 40 built and the only one offered publicly to date.

When the 1,500 hp Bugatti Divo was named Robb Report’s Best of the Best in the Hypercar category for 2019, we described it as “a four-wheeled hyperbole . . . as elusive as it is superlative." Those words are equally relevant today, as the Divo remains a milestone in combining straight-line performance with lateral dynamics. On August 15, one of the only 40 examples made will mark the model’s debut at auction when it crosses the block through Bonhams|Cars. Nearly as noteworthy is that it’s being offered without reserve.

The car’s coverage in our award-themed June/July print issue six years ago quoted Bugatti’s then-president, Stephan Winkelmann, who stated, “I wanted to test my team, and myself, to develop more emotional performance and a completely new design," regarding the missive for developing the Divo. “We wanted to highlight the sporty side."

With its tremendous output coming from an 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 engine with 1,180 ft lbs of torque, the Divo has been engineered with a focus on cornering, which is why its top speed has been “limited" to a still staggering 236 mph compared to the Bugatti Chiron’s 261 mph max. What sets the Divo apart is its 1,005 pounds of downforce—198 pounds more than the Chiron—and lateral acceleration that can deliver 1.6 g. According to Bugatti’s press release at the time, these all factor into the Divo beating the Chiron by eight seconds at the Nardò circuit in Italy.

To realize this enhanced level of athleticism over the Chiron, the Divo’s chassis, steering, and suspension were fine-tuned for greater responsiveness, and aerodynamic improvements included new front and rear diffusors and a wider, adjustable rear spoiler. Fittingly, the model’s emphasis on control while being pushed to the extreme is reflected in the selection of its name, an homage to racer Albert Divo. A driver for the marque’s factory team from 1928 through 1933, Divo won the Targa Florio endurance race back-to-back during that period.

This example of the model has had only two stewards since leaving the factory in Molsheim, France. It has also been showcased at the Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme" exhibition, which ran from December of 2021 until May of 2023. In 2024, it was acquired by the consignor, who has ensured that less than 800 miles have been put on the odometer in total.

“Here at Bonhams|Cars, we are delighted to be the first auction house globally to bring to market one of the rarest hypercars ever produced, the Bugatti Divo," says Bonhams specialist Louis Frankel. “It is incredibly rare that anyone ever has the opportunity to see one, let alone purchase one, so being able to bring this car to market is hugely exciting."

Yet this Divo is not the only exquisite automotive outlier that Bonhams|Cars will showcase at the Quail Auction during Northern California’s upcoming Monterey Car Week. Among the over 100 lots being presented, the Divo is one of 24 cars comprising what Bonhams has dubbed the Future Classics Collection—contemporary apex automobiles—all being offered without reserve.

Included in what’s estimated to be a roughly $30 million assemblage is a 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport expected to fetch up to $4.25 million, a 2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster with a high-end estimate of $3.6 million, and the 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione “Ocean Dragon" valued at between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. As for the Divo, though each had a starting price of $5.8 million when new, this pristine example is now expected to garner between $7 million and $9 million—its high-performance acumen seemingly extending to its return on investment.

From the article by Viju Mathew