After two years of development at the Molsheim factory, the first Bugatti Divo hypercars are ready for delivery to their new owners.
First of the Bugatti Divo’s to be delivered to owners. Credit: Bugatti
It’s been two years since the Bugatti Divo was first revealed, and now the first Divo’s have been revealed ahead of delivery to their new owners.
Named after French pilot and Bugatti works racing driver Albert Divo who won six Grand Prix races and two Targa Florio’s, the limited edition Bugatti Divo takes a page out of the early era custom-bodied Bugatti’s and reimagines coachbuilding.
Only 40 Bugatti Divo’s will be produced. Credit: Bugatti
“The Divo starts a new era at Bugatti – the era of modern coachbuilding,” shared Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “With the Divo we have created a highly customised masterpiece of automotive craftsmanship that is a must-have for any Bugatti collection.”
An even sportier Bugatti than the Chiron. Credit: Bugatti
The difference in terms of today’s coachbuilding vehicles like the Divo is that in the past, master body-makers tailored different body shapes to a chassis – they hardly ever modified the technology. In contrast, with the new Divo development, designers and engineers have modified the technology and boosted the performance.
Bugatti have completed a challenging two years of development to finally reveal the first customer builds. Credit: Bugatti
“We had a host of liberties when we developed the Divo because we limited the top speed to 380 km/h” shared Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s Deputy Design Director. “As a result, we were able to generate more downforce and turn the Divo into a visually and technically independent model.”
An even sportier-looking model compared to the Chiron, the Divo has a host of additional air intakes including a NACA air duct on the roof to help cool the 8.0-liter W16 engine, ducts to cool the brakes and intakes on the bonnet to reduce the front surface of the vehicle and improve airflow. Likewise, a new front spoiler design creates greater downforce.
Divo’s rear is also distinguished by a unique 3D taillight design featuring 44 light-up finds that complement the narrow LED front headlights.
Unique 3D taillight design of the Divo. Credit: Bugatti
Only 40 Bugatti Divo’s will be produced, with each of the already sold-out models priced at approx €5 million.
One of the last Bugatti Divo’s to be delivered has been dubbed “Lady Bug” and features a geometric fading pattern across the bodywork.
The new Bugatti Divo Lady Bug. Credit: Bugatti
When it was first introduced in 2018, the Bugatti Divo was already one of the world’s most in-demand hypercars, with only 40 vehicles available worldwide.
1600 diamond-shapes across the bodywork outlined in “Graphite”. Credit: Bugatti
Not long after its launch, a USA-based collector known as @officialbugattihellbee placed an order for a special Divo “Lady Bug” that would feature an eye-catching geometric fading design across the “Customer Special Red” bodywork.
Took almost two years to perfect the diamond design. Credit: Bugatti
At the beginning of the project, no one could have envisioned the project’s complexity and just how difficult it would prove to paint the diamonds onto the vehicle without distorting the design.
What now appears as a flawlessly designed Bugatti Divo ended up taking almost two years to create as the CAD modelers, and production team worked to perfect the design of the 1,600 diamond shapes across the contours, curves, and ribs of the Divo “Lady Bug.”
“The ‘Lady Bug’ was an exceptional challenge and at the same time an unforgettable experience. Due to the nature of the project, where a 2D graphic was applied to a 3D sculpture, and after numerous failed ideas and attempts to apply the diamonds, we were close to giving up and saying: ‘We cannot meet the customer’s request’,” explains Jörg Grumer, Head of Color & Trim at Bugatti Design. “However, it is our profound conviction that we should never give up and that our foremost motivation should always be to make the impossible possible for the customer. We are proud of the expertise we applied in creating this Divo: a high quality and complex product based on pure craftsmanship and outstanding teamwork between design and development.”
Once the CAD team had completed the exterior graphic design of the Lady Bug, the application onto the bodywork was relatively smooth, with employees completing the process over a few days.
“The thought of this project becoming a reality was not only exciting but a dream of mine,” shared the owner.” I was absolutely floored upon delivery. Working with the Bugatti design team on the Lady Bug’s production was an exceptional experience, not only in the true dedication to the flawless execution of the one of a kind design but also in the dedication at all levels involved in the final presentation of the vehicle. Not only is the vehicle a true masterpiece and work of art, but it is the true height of my collection to date and the most intricate and well developed vehicle I have owned. This is true because the team at Bugatti are truly masters of their craft and only work at the highest level of detail in each masterpiece they produce.”
American artist Richard Phillips and Porsche have collaborated on the new Porsche Taycan 4S “Artcar” that will be auctioned for charity.
Porsche Taycan 4S “Artcar” designed by artist Richard Phillips. Credit: RM Sothebys
A new artistic Porsche Taycan 4S created in collaboration with American artist Richard Phillips will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s to raise funds for Swiss non-profit Suisseculter Sociale, helping to support artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s to raise funds for Suisseculter Sociale. Credit: RM Sothebys
Based on Phillips’s 2010 large-scale painting “Queen of the Night” inspired by Swiss landscape artist Adolf Dietrich’s work, the art wrap features large three-dimensional elements of the floral blooms, blue skies, and butterflies across the body of the Taycan 4S.
Based on Richard Phillips “Queen of the Night” artwork. Credit: RM Sothebys
“The Queen of the Night livery culminates at the rear of the car with its namesake blossom wrapping completely around the bumper while being dramatically lit up by the Taycan’s signature horizontal light bar,” explains Phillips. “Conceptually, my Queen of the Night livery takes into consideration that the design of the Taycan is an instant icon of electric mobility and speed.
Bold florals form the artwork wrap around the electric Taycan 4S. Credit: RM Sothebys
“Its lines and form are that of the artists and designers at Porsche who strove to communicate this feeling at first sight. I greatly respect this objective. The choice to work with my Dietrich-inspired painting was to reference the natural environment with its beauty and composition reimagined in concert with the sweeping gestures of the Taycan. Dietrich’s intimate relationship to the landscape was more than mere representation of the environment around him. It was to communicate the soul of Switzerland and Lake Constance. His art is universally recognized for this, and is something that I have been deeply moved by.”
Painted at a live event at Porsche partner pop-up restaurant. Credit: RM Sothebys
Created at a live event at Porsche partner pop-up restaurant “Leuehof” in Zurich, the electric Porsche Taycan 4S Artcar was initially displayed in the culinary art space of the restaurant until COVID-19 regulations forced the closure of the restaurant in December 2020.
With the restaurant remaining closed due to the pandemic, the Porsche Taycan 4S Artcar will now make a series of appearances at various Porsche Centers in Switzerland before the online auction at www.rmsothebys.com that will run from April 6 – 13, 2021.
To ensure the full amount of the auction proceeds will go to charity, artist Richard Phillips, auction house RM Sotheby’s, and Porsche Schweiz AG have all agreed to forgo fees and commissions so that Suisseculture Sociale can distribute funds to hardship cases who would not be otherwise eligible for assistance.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection is inspired by the universe’s infinite reach and is limited to 20 vehicles worldwide.
The new limited edition Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus. Credit: Rolls-Royce
The new Rolls-Royce Phantom “Tempus” is limited to 20 vehicles and is inspired by the concept of time and the infinite universe, with a special focus on a rare astronomical phenomenon known as a “pulsar.”
New “Kairos Blue” paint with mica flakes to represent the night sky. Credit: Rolls-Royce
Unknown and undiscovered until 1967, pulsars are found in the deepest reaches of space (the closest is still 1,680 trillion miles from Earth) and are dense, white-hot stars that emit electromagnetic radiation in regular pulses – making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.
Only 20 editions will be made. Credit: Rolls-Royce
In the Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus, the pulsar features as a hand-painted and embroidered artwork across the Starlight Headliner, complete with twinkling fiber-optic lights to reflect the white-hot stars.
Starlight Headliner with hand-painted/embroidered Pulsar night sky design. Credit: Rolls-Royce
Another design element made to represent time is the “Frozen Flow of Time” gallery – a unique artwork built into the dashboard fascia and made of a single billet of aluminum milled to form 100 individual columns, representing the 100-million years it takes for a rotational spin of a pulsar star.
The Frozen Flow of Time gallery artwork. Credit: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce has also deliberately removed the clock from this edition in the hope that from within the space they have created, “the outside world and all its pressures and demands are forgotten.”
A place with where time does not exist. Credit: Rolls-Royce
“The events of the past year have caused many people, not least our clients, to re-evaluate their sense of, and relationship with time. At a moment in history when so much in life seems ephemeral, our patrons are seeking solace in the unique timelessness, longevity and permanence offered by a Rolls-Royce motor car,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Starry light design across the door panels. Credit: Rolls-Royce
“As we all know, time never stands still, waits for no one. Hence, we manage it, guard it, account for it, weigh and measure it to its smallest fraction. With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which those structures no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock. Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by time; the outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten.”
The Rolls-Royce clock has been deliberately left out of the design. Credit: Rolls-Royce
For the exterior of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus, a new bespoke paint color known as “Kairos Blue” has been created especially for this model and includes mica flakes to make a slight sparkling effect that mimics the stars of the night sky.
Owners can also choose to personalize their vehicles one step further with a unique engraving on the Spirit of Ecstasy, choosing to remember a special date and location of significance to the client, a marriage, or a birthday.