The 21C is manufactured using innovative 3D printing and automation techniques, where computers calculate the necessary parameters (strength, weight, cost) of a specific component and then build it from either a composite or metal alloy, exactly to the required specifications.
It is powered by an in-house developed 2.88-litre twin-turbo V8, driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed automated manual transmission, That engine itself puts out around 950bhp on its own and revs to 11,000rpm, and is supplemented by two front-mounted, torque vectoring electric motors. These are fed by a 2kWh fast-charging lithium-titanate battery, topped up by a rear-mounted motor generator.
In the track-spec launch car, which Sverdrup said will be delivered to customers towards the end of 2021, the total output is put at 1,174bhp. But in 2022 the fully homologated road-going examples will be delivered, with 1233bhp. Both cars are very light, even the less stripped-out road-going car weighs just 1,250kg. A 1+1 tandem seating layout is featured, and the price is around £1.4 million, depending on market.
Both Sverdrup and Czinger’s chief technical officer, Jon Gunner, sat down with Autocar to explain the company and car in more detail.
You’re both formerly of rival Koenigsegg. What made you switch to Czinger?
Gunner: “I was at Koenigsegg for 12 years. I felt like we’d done everything we could. I wanted to work somewhere where we can start from a clean sheet, and when I saw Czinger was really doing that I was enticed.
“I believe in small, agile teams to get things done quickly – back to my days working on the 2005 Ford GT with a tiny team and quick development, all through my years at Koenigsegg. I brought that ethos here.”
What is it about Czinger that makes it different from the myriad hypercar startups?
Sverdrup: “First of all, most of these cars kind of look the same lately – when you have a curtain over them they look the same. I think if you put one over this it looks completely different.
“Every now and then a genuine company comes along with genuine technology that will benefit mankind. I must have seen 200 brands come and go – only the ones that really have something special survive. We have our own technology, our own design, our own methods, and that’s unique.
“Our financial backing is paid up front – we don’t need to wait to sell a car to pay our backers. It’s not a mock-up waiting for finance – these cars you see here are fully driveable”.