New American manufacturer also appoints HR Owen as UK dealer for 1233bhp V8-engined hyper-hybrid
New American company Czinger’s debut model, the radical 21C hypercar, will make its UK dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June.
The announcement comes as Czinger appoints high-end car dealer HR Owen as the exclusive UK retailer for the 21C and other upcoming Czinger models, ahead of deliveries of the hypercar getting under way in 2023.
This will be the 21C’s second high-profile outing on track, having already beaten the production car lap record at California’s Laguna Seca Raceway by a considerable margin in 2021.
The 1233bhp hyper-hybrid was sent around the 2.24-mile course, with professional racer Joel Millar at the wheel, in just 1min 25.44sec, far outpacing the previous record of 1min 27.62sec set by the McLaren Senna in 2019. Conditions were described as “ideal” and the car used road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tyres.
The Laguna Seca record is the first, Czinger said, in a planned string of future performance record attempts – although the firm has yet to confirm whether the 21C will put in a record attempt on the Goodwood hillclimb during the festival. The record is currently held by Volkswagen’s ID R electric prototype, which went up the course in just 39.9sec in 2019.
Footage of the Czinger team preparing the 21C for its record-breaking run at Laguna Seca, as well as it lapping the track at speed, can be seen below.
Limited to just 80 examples, the Aston Martin Valkyrie rival is powered by an in-house-developed twin-turbocharged 2.88-litre flat-crank V8 that revs to 11,000rpm and sends its power to the rear wheels.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s supplemented by two electric motors that power the front wheels, resulting in a total output of 1233bhp.
With the road-going version’s kerb weight of 1250kg (the lightweight track configuration is just 1218kg), Czinger claims a true 1:1 power-to-weight ratio (measured in metric horsepower and kilograms).
Unsurprisingly, the quoted acceleration figures are mind-boggling: 0-62mph in 1.9sec, 0-186mph in 15sec and 0-248mph-0 in a scarcely believable 29.0sec. A 268mph top speed is claimed.
Power is put though a seven-speed sequential gearbox with a hydraulic multi-plate clutch.
Designed and manufacturered from scratch using innovative 3D-printing and automation techniques, the 21C features an alloy-and-carbonfibre chassis.
Its design is highly aero focused; Czinger claims that the road-going version produces 250kg of downforce at 155mph and the track version makes 790kg.
A full-width LED light strip stretches across the rear, which is dominated by a honeycomb grille design.
The car also features an in-line seating arrangement, like in a fighter jet.
Promising to showcase a “paradigm shift in the way vehicles are designed, developed, engineered and manufactured”, Czinger is named after founder and CEO Kevin Czinger, the man behind the Divergent Blade supercar of 2015.
The Blade was claimed to be the first car of its type to use 3D-printing to form body and chassis components.
The 21C and its propulsion system are designed, developed, engineered and manufactured from scratch at the company’s base in Los Angeles, California.
Autocar understands that, given the amount of bespoke engineering and innovation included, a seven-figure price is likely for the car.
Source: Autocar
