Monterey Car Week is held each year in August in and around the Monterey California area. The event showcases many beautiful cars at various car shows, rallies, car auctions and finishes with the finale on Sunday, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The Bugatti Divo.
Earlier today, at the exclusive automotive event “The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering“ in Monterey, California, Bugatti presented its latest model, the Divo, at a world premiere. With the Divo, the French luxury brand has developed a super sports car tuned for agility, nimbleness and optimum handling performance on winding roads.
It is powered by Bugatti’s iconic eight-litre W16 engine with a power output of 1,500 PS. The aerodynamics of the model have been intensively fine-tuned and the suspension and chassis settings have been modified. As a result, the Divo is 35 kilograms (77 lbs) lighter and has 90 kilograms (198 lbs) more downforce than the standard Chiron.
The lateral acceleration of the Divo has been boosted to 1.6 g. Its maximum speed is limited to 380 km/h (236 mph) and the Divo can lap the Nardò handling circuit in southern Italy eight seconds faster than the Chiron. The series will only consist of 40 vehicles. Upon the start of presentations to selected customers, the strictly limited small series, with a net unit price of €5 million, sold out immediately.
“To date, a modern Bugatti has represented a perfect balance between high performance, straight-line dynamics and luxurious comfort. Within our possibilities, we have shifted the balance in the case of the Divo further towards lateral acceleration, agility and cornering,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
“The Divo is made for bends,” Winkelmann adds. “The Divo is a further project intended to thrill people and the world.”
The interior features matt carbon fibre accents and the distinctive “Divo Racing Blue” is used as an Alcantara leather tone in the interior, where it plays a special role by providing an optical split in the interior surfaces. This colour is used almost throughout the driver’s section while it only provides selected accents in the darker passenger’s section.
With the main objective of chassis development work being to improve cornering dynamics; the Divo was to be sharper, more agile and more nimble. For this purpose, the camber was increased and the steering and suspension have been set to ensure more direct response and significantly sportier driving behaviour in all modes.
The aerodynamic properties of the Divo were also improved by a considerable amount of detailed work. The newly-designed, wide front spoiler provides higher downforce and guides more air to the front air inlets. The cooling system therefore receives a higher mass flow and overall cooling performance is improved.
The brakes are cooled by four independent air sources on each side of the vehicle: air flows in from the high-pressure area above the front bumper, the inlets on the front wings, one inlet on the front radiator and the diffusers ahead of the tyres. Vanes direct the cold air from these areas onto the brake discs. A heat shield carries the hot air out through the wheels. This means that the brakes do not overheat and the tyre temperature is always kept in the optimum range. This system, which is already used on the Chiron, receives additional support from the vacuum generated by the air curtain on the tyres in the case of the Divo. In addition, the wheel arches are ventilated via slats on the wings.
The rear end of the Divo features a new, height-adjustable rear spoiler which functions as an air brake when turned forwards and is set to different angles for the individual driving modes. The downforce is also boosted by the rear diffuser which has been entirely redesigned for greater efficiency and accommodates four tailpipes. The total downforce generated is 456 kilograms, 90 kg more than on the Chiron.
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ makes it debut in Monterey.
Not to be outdone, Lamborghini has unveiled the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ also at “The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering”. The new Aventador SVJ, where SV historically stands for Superveloce – meaning ‘superfast’ – takes the ‘Jota’ suffix, denoting its track and performance superiority. A special edition, named SVJ 63, pays homage to Lamborghini’s founding year of 1963: produced in a unique configuration, it demonstrates the rich use of carbon fiber and is made in an additional limited number of just 63.
The special edition SVJ 63.
“The Aventador SVJ is an innovative car and represents the absolute pinnacle of our super sports car product range,” said Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stefano Domenicali. “The challenge to Lamborghini designers and engineers was to improve the purest essence of the Lamborghini super sports car, drawing on every inspiration from a space ship to a jet fighter: all the most exceptional examples of super-fast, super-athletic, aerodynamic superiority. The Aventador SVJ takes another step into the future, shaping the potential for super sports car development.”
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ in its natural habitat.
The Aventador SVJ however, is more than a super sports car achieving the top numbers. The development philosophy of the Aventador SVJ and its very essence in terms of design, aerodynamic technologies and efficiency, weight-to-power as well as performance, is to create a demanding driver’s perfect car.
Again aerodynamics play a big role here: the front the car is wider and a new front bumper with integrated side fins features a new air intake and highlights the inclusion of Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), Lamborghini’s patented active aerodynamics technologies.
The disconnected front splitter continues the impression of a floating component, while providing a channel for airflow. A tri-dimensional air outlet on the hood directs airflow, improves both drag and downforce, and clearly alludes to the aerodynamic purpose of the SVJ’s design. The upper body aerodynamic optimization has contributed 70% to the total downforce improvement in the SVJ over the SV.
At the rear of the car the position of the high-mounted naked exhaust resembles those found on extreme motorbikes, as well as saving weight due to its proximity to the engine: the exhaust system itself is also lighter. The Omega-shape rear bumper incorporates a massive new diffuser that contributes to downforce, while a new high-mounted rear wing is produced entirely in carbon fiber with its integrated ALA system.
The Aventador SVJ is a driver-focused car, developed to maximize the union between driver and car in the most extreme road and track conditions and ensure the most rewarding experience. It comes with AppleCarPlay as an option free of charge, but the Lamborghini telemetry system is an optional extra that allows you to record lap times and track performance as well as trip data, the telemetry system is especially appealing to the owner who wants to take their car on track.