The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

THE EXCLUSIVE LADY BUG bitecars S ometimes, it’s intriguing to see how high-performance cars are specially customised when commissioned by a customer. One such US-based owner asked Bugatti to revamp their Divo into the Lady Bug in contrasting ‘Customer Special Red’ and ‘Graphite’ metallic paints with 1,600 diamond shapes to create the car’s unique geometric pattern. With only 40 examples of the $6 million Divo made, completing this one-off commission was a challenging and exciting opportunity for Bugatti. It took two years to transform the special Divo into the Lady Bug with a one-of- a-kind custom paint scheme and other unique features. “Every Bugatti Divo is a one-of-a-kind. With the custom-made Lady Bug, Bugatti has demonstrated the full range of its customisation expertise. What initially seemed impossible was executed to perfection by the designers and devel- opers in collaboration with the customer,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “We are proud to have matched the cus- tomer’s personal taste and expectations with this unique Divo. The car demon- strates what the marque is capable of in terms of creativity and craftsmanship.” The work on this automotive masterpiece was a symbiosis of art, design and technology to create a unique and gorgeously rich red hypercar, entirely in line with the philos- ophy of company founder Ettore Bugatti, who once said: “If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti.” The world premiere of the Divo was first unveiled in August 2018. Shortly after, the idea of a geometric-dynamic algorithmic pattern and diamond shapes on the bod- ywork emerged under the customer’s vi- sion - the design and development team set about developing the unique metallic tones to achieve the contrasting effects. At the same time, the diamond pattern was designed to run precisely from the front over the sides to the rear to match the car’s silhouette.