A rare 2020 Bugatti Divo, one of just 40 examples built, was the star of the Bonhams Cars Quail Auction at the weekend, selling for $8.6m (R151.6m).
Held as part of 2025 Monterey Car Week in California, the auction achieved $44.7m across 109 lots with a 96% sell-through rate with more than 700 attendees filling the sale room, said Bonhams.
A collection of 24 modern machines featured some of the most sought-after vehicles of the modern era, including limited-edition, low-mileage hypercars.
The Divo, with less than 1,300km on the odometer, achieved a new auction world record for the model. It comfortably eclipsed previous Divo results, showing how demand for modern Bugattis has surged, according to Bonhams Cars.
Launched in 2018, the Divo is a mid-engined track-focused car named after French racing driver Albert Divo, who raced for Bugatti in the 1920s and twice won the Targa Florio race.
It is powered by an 8l, quad turbo, 16-cylinder engine with outputs of 1,103 kW and 1,600Nm of torque, allowing it to accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 2.4 seconds and achieve a 380km/h top speed.
All 40 Divos sold out on their first day of availability, making secondhand examples highly sought after by collectors.
Other highlights of the weekend’s Bonhams auction were a 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione "Ocean Dragon", achieving an auction world record of $3.5m for the model, a 2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster ($3.3m), a 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport ($3.96m) and a 2023 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport ($3.4m).
Not every top result came from hypercars. A 1985 Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2, one of the ultimate expressions of Group B rallying, achieved $1.76m. A 1956 Ferrari 250 Europa GT sold for $1.51m and a 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Mille Miglia Berlinetta fetched $687,000.
"Today was truly an unforgettable auction and a highlight of Monterey Car Week," commented Eric Minoff, head of sales for Bonhams Cars, US.
"The auction room was beyond packed, with competitive bidding and an electric atmosphere that reflected the excitement for these remarkable cars. The outstanding results are a testament to the quality of the vehicles on offer and the passion of the collectors who attended."
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