Bugatti Signals a Return to Coachbuilding Tradition With the $6 Million Divo

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Bugatti Signals a Return to Coachbuilding Tradition With the $6 Million Divo

This article was published by Joe Donaldson (@Joey D) on July 11th, 2018 in the Automotive News category.

 

[TheCracker]

I can't wait to see what the Bugatti Grover-Williams and the Bugatti Junker will look like.

 

[VBR]

The name "Divo" seems to be apt, as you'd have to be a bit of a div to spend that amount of money on a car!

 

[Dsavage27]

I think the makers of these Bugattis are being little "diva's" with these staggering price tags....sheesh should cars really cost this damn much lol.

 

[dice1998]

sheesh should cars really cost this damn much lol.

Hey.

Click this.

 

[The Chosen One]

• FIA announces a “Hypercar” category to replace LMP1 in Le Mans.
• High-end manufacturers are building track-focused hypercars that look like race cars.
• “Light and nimble” and “boast enormous downforce” used to describe the new Bugatti model.
• Almost 25 years since the EB110 GT1 race car competed at Le Mans.

This is purely speculation, but could this possibly be Bugatti’s entry into Le Mans with a new race car?

 

[Dsavage27]

• FIA announces a “Hypercar” category to replace LMP1 in Le Mans.
• High-end manufacturers are building track-focused hypercars that look like race cars.
• “Light and nimble” and “boast enormous downforce” used to describe the new Bugatti model.
• Almost 25 years since the EB110 GT1 race car competed at Le Mans.

This is purely speculation, but could this possibly be Bugatti’s entry into Le Mans with a new race car?

Good thinking, forgot about that. I can definitely see Bugatti entering the Motorsport world again. These next few years will be interesting.

 

[Moglet]

Guess who got on the customer list for this?









Not me.

 

[McLaren]

• FIA announces a “Hypercar” category to replace LMP1 in Le Mans.
• High-end manufacturers are building track-focused hypercars that look like race cars.
• “Light and nimble” and “boast enormous downforce” used to describe the new Bugatti model.
• Almost 25 years since the EB110 GT1 race car competed at Le Mans.

This is purely speculation, but could this possibly be Bugatti’s entry into Le Mans with a new race car?

It’s a Chiron with a reported racing transmission, and they’re only building 100. Seems like a good speculation to have.

 

[kikie]

Is coachbuilding kind of what Ruf does?

 

[TheCracker]

Is coachbuilding kind of what Ruf does?

Not really as RUF tends to do very little with the exterior and quite a lot on the chassis and drive-train. The opposite really.

Think Zagato (more recently with what it's done with Aston Martins) and to an extent Ferrari's own SP's. McLaren also have their in-house MSO division which is set up, like Ferrari SP, to produce one-offs for clients based on their production models running gear but with special bodywork. This is really the spirit of coachbuilding, even though that was traditionally done by other 'coach-building' companies.

Lynx did it with the Jaguar XJS and created the Eventer shooting brake.

 

[kikie]

Not really as RUF tends to do very little with the exterior and quite a lot on the chassis and drive-train. The opposite really.

Think Zagato (more recently with what it's done with Aston Martins) and to an extent Ferrari's own SP's. McLaren also have their in-house MSO division which is set up, like Ferrari SP, to produce one-offs for clients based on their production models running gear but with special bodywork. This is really the spirit of coachbuilding, even though that was traditionally done by other 'coach-building' companies.

Lynx did it with the Jaguar XJS and created the Eventer shooting brake.

Some sort of body tuning.


The very first thought I had when I read coachbuilding was this:

 

[TheCracker]

Some sort of body tuning.


The very first thought I had when I read coachbuilding was this:

You laugh, but it very much is exactly that. Or at least that's where it stems from.

Companies, or craftsmen who trained originally with companies who produced actual coaches - as in the vehicles pulled behind horses or train engines, were asked by wealthy customers to produce one-off specialised bodies for chassis made by early car manufacturers to express their wealth and good taste. Bentley or Bugatti etc would supply a running chassis - everything other than the body (which was literally just bolted on top of the chassis in those days and up until the 40's or 50's) then get Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina, Figoni, Mulliner or Belgium's own Van Hool (who now make actual coaches) to make them a beautiful and usually one-off body to drop on top.

 

[kikie]

You laugh, but it very much is exactly that. Or at least that's where it stems from.

Companies, or craftsmen who trained originally with companies who produced actual coaches - as in the vehicles pulled behind horses or train engines, were asked by wealthy customers to produce one-off specialised bodies for chassis made by early car manufacturers to express their wealth and good taste. Bentley or Bugatti etc would supply a running chassis - everything other than the body (which was literally just bolted on top of the chassis in those days and up until the 40's or 50's) then get Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina, Figoni, Mulliner or Belgium's own Van Hool (who now make actual coaches) to make them a beautiful and usually one-off body to drop on top.

I laugh with myself because that was my very first thought.

 

[Corsa]

Yawn.
Yet another human creation that 99.9% will never have access to.

Why can't Bugatti create a fun little lightweight sportster in the $50K range for all to enjoy?

I know it's all about brand power, but the older I get I really start thinking who gives a ****?

 

[AudiMan2011]

A track-focused Bugatti with a likely Chiron powertrain sort of rings bells of the Vision Gran Turismo.

Although it probably won't be an actual limited run of the VGT, it would be super cool if it was.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Yawn.
Yet another human creation that 99.9% will never have access to.

Why can't Bugatti create a fun little lightweight sportster in the $50K range for all to enjoy?

I know it's all about brand power, but the older I get I really start thinking who gives a ****?

It'd make zero sense for VWAG to brand a 50k sportscar as a Bugatti when they could conceivably do it as an Audi or a Porsche, or possibly even a VW or a Seat... at a stretch an affordable Lambo might even be a thing... but exclusivity is a Bugatti brand mainstay, and there's not many easier ways of excluding people from buying your product than charging 1 metric tonne of money for it.

 

[TexRex]

I'm just going to set this down here...

http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76

 

[Snikle]

It'd make zero sense for VWAG to brand a 50k sportscar as a Bugatti when they could conceivably do it as an Audi or a Porsche, or possibly even a VW or a Seat... at a stretch an affordable Lambo might even be a thing... but exclusivity is a Bugatti brand mainstay, and there's not many easier ways of excluding people from buying your product than charging 1 metric tonne of money for it.

Yeah, Bugattis were always expensive. The Royale was a 43k car when most cars were around 1k. They wouldn't stop now.

 

[Darla Starch]

Yeah, Bugattis were always expensive. The Royale was a 43k car when most cars were around 1k. They wouldn't stop now.

Exactly. Bugatti's aren't for plebs.

 

[Volksauto]

Yeah, Bugattis were always expensive. The Royale was a 43k car when most cars were around 1k. They wouldn't stop now.

Examples of coachbuilt Type 41 Royales:
Royale Coupe Napoleon

Royale Esders Roadster

A Bugatti Royale Chassis alone cost about $30,000 or $540,000 TODAY
The engine was a 778 CI

 

[Robin]

I wish Bugatti would just go and make the Galibier. At least it would be useful unlike these zillion miles an hour hypercars. Bugatti has gone a bit too heavy on the racing side and not enough on the luxury side of things.

 

[Joey D]

Actually at this point, I'm surprised they haven't made an SUV or Crossover.

 

[Dsavage27]

Only a matter of time honestly. I'll say within the next 5 years.

 

[McLaren]

I wouldn't bet on it. Less than 300 employees and producing less than 70 cars a year. With a 500-unit run, there's a 7-year run which may push back as it took 10 years just to move 450 Veyrons. The Chiron is the reason the Galibier was cut as well, so they could focus on it as the Veyron's successor.

They simply don't have the staff or production line to incorporate a 2nd model of any kind right now.

 

[kikie]

A Bugatti Royale Chassis alone cost about $30,000 or $540,000 TODAY
The engine was a 778 CI

I love that chassis model. Is it fully functional?

 

[Snikle]

I wish Bugatti would just go and make the Galibier. At least it would be useful unlike these zillion miles an hour hypercars. Bugatti has gone a bit too heavy on the racing side and not enough on the luxury side of things.

Now, this is just speculation, but I think the Divo will be something closer to this than the Veyron or Chrion. I think they're making it as a spiritual successor to the Royale than any of their sportier cars or rave cars. Having the highest price of any new car on the market, and not by a small margin either, shows that it'll be something truly exclusive and amazing, like the original Royale. Also, the preview picture has similar colors to the Coupe Napoleon, and the Royale was a coachbuilt model.

Just a guess. We'll see for sure next month.

 

[McLaren]

Now, this is just speculation, but I think the Divo will be something closer to this than the Veyron or Chrion. I think they're making it as a spiritual successor to the Royale than any of their sportier cars or rave cars. Having the highest price of any new car on the market, and not by a small margin either, shows that it'll be something truly exclusive and amazing, like the original Royale. Also, the preview picture has similar colors to the Coupe Napoleon, and the Royale was a coachbuilt model.

Just a guess. We'll see for sure next month.

The Divo is a Chiron in a new disguise. It's running the chassis & powerplant hence why how they're able to produce it "alongside" the Chiron. The claim it's running a race transmission & will be "handling-focused" leads me to believe it's going to be more race/track car than luxury this time.

 

[Volksauto]

I wish Bugatti would just go and make the Galibier. At least it would be useful unlike these zillion miles an hour hypercars. Bugatti has gone a bit too heavy on the racing side and not enough on the luxury side of things.

I love the prewar throwback with the butterfly hinged hood.

 

[The Stig Farmer]