California-based hypercar manufacturer, Czinger, has just revealed its first-ever creation ahead of its official premier at the Geneva International Motor Show next month. But I’m sure avid readers and automotive enthusiasts are probably bored of seeing multi-million dollar chunks of unobtanium being outed on the regular. So, what makes this any different?
The Czinger 21C is probably no different from the current crop of hypercars with its astronomical price tag and eye watering performance numbers. Where it does lead the field, is in its construction methods and the advanced technologies developed for it. Allow me to explain.
It’s fairly safe to assume that most other cars in this segment are constructed from an amalgamation of carbon composite materials and lightweight alloys, but not the 21C. The Californian bullet is manufactured from the ground up using high-strength metal alloys and carbon fibre too; but here’s where the Czinger leaves the pack behind – much of the components, structures and almost the entire chassis is computationally engineered and 3D-printed. Yes, Czinger PRINTED much of their hypercar using state-of-the-art tech, which is consistently being refined.
Bolted to the printed chassis is the powertrain which includes an in-house designed hybrid unit and flat-plane crank V8 engine. While Czinger hasn’t gone into specifics about the power division in their press release, Top Gear – who published a Czinger factory tour video – went on to say that the rear wheels are powered by the 694kW V8 while the two electric motors on the front axle deliver 120kW of power and all-wheel drive. There’s also one electric motor attached to the V8 engine for added response. Together, these four power units churn out 920kW (1,233bhp) of power. The 21C also tips the scales at 1,233kg – giving it the haloed power-to-weight ratio of 1:1.
Back to the engine, the flat-crank V8 in question here measures some 2.88-litres in displacement, and is assisted by two turbochargers and revs to an astronomical 11,000 rpm. The engine’s mated to a lightweight seven-speed sequential transaxle gearbox with a hydraulically-actuated multi-plate clutch. The mid-mounted tower of power can propel the 21C to 100 km/h from rest in just 1.9 seconds, which is an astonishing pace. It gets better. 0-300 km/h is dealt with in 15 seconds while 0-400km/h is accomplished in a mere 29 seconds.
Elsewhere, the Czinger’s design is more than just eye catching but rather fully functional. The seating layout is arranged in an inline fashion like a motorbike rather than an abreast configuration that we’re all used to. By doing so, the car’s narrow profile allows it to be as aerodynamic as possible.
Speaking of aero, the example you see in pictures here is the ‘regular’ version that generates 250kg of downforce at 250 km/h, however Czinger makes the 21C in what they call “lightweight track configuration". This setup produces 790kg of downforce at 250 km/h. The additional drag has an effect on the top speed. The ‘regular’ version tops out at 432 km/h while the track version maxes out 380 km/h, according to the company.
The Czinger 21C hypercar will be making its shiny official debut at the Geneva International Motor Show this March. In the above-mentioned Top Gear video, its founder and CEO, Kevin Czinger, revealed the sticker price to be US$1.7 million or $2.58 million Australian dollars, sans customisation. Only 80 examples are slated to be produced.
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