Czinger, which has already made a splash in the industry for its groundbreaking vehicle development and manufacturing processes, is taking things up a notch, or five. The California-based hypercar builder has quickly become an authority on both speed and manufacturing. The 21C hybrid road-going hypercar has been an unbelievable proof of concept for Czinger and its sister company, Divergent.
Czinger is responsible, primarily, for the construction of world-class vehicles, while Divergent is where the magic happens behind the scenes. That company is creating 3D-printed and machine-designed components that eliminate excess weight, add strength, and lower both the cost and lead times of the manufacturing process. It’s been so successful that other OEMs have approached Divergent for the production of special components such as suspension arms and other critical structural parts.
21C has already made a name for itself, as the specs of the car are impressive on their own. It holds the track record at Laguna Seca, but now, Czinger is on a crusade to prove the 21C can be the ultimate track car. “It’s something you can use on the road, take to the track, potentially set a new record, and then drive back home.” At this year’s Monterey Car Week, specifically The Quail, Czinger proudly displayed the exact 21C hypercar that broke all five records. Along with it was a special one-of-one, called the 21C VMAX “Liquid Silver”, an aero-optimized version of the car that shows Czinger’s attention to detail and how quickly development can be executed. Four customer cars were also shown on the lawn.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from an exclusive interview with Czinger Founder and CEO, Lukas Czinger.
Five Track Records In Just Five Days
Beating just one track record is already a massive achievement. Track times and bragging rights have never been this intense. Breaking multiple records is near impossible. Czinger wanted to make a statement, though, so beating five wasn’t enough. They went and did it with the time constraint of one record per day. So, in under a week, this relatively new car destroyed all the major records within its home state of California.
Thunder Hill: 1:48.30
The first attempt at a record break was met with a mix of ease and complications, as the 21C went out and broke the record almost immediately. At 1.48.30, the record was broken by 3.39 seconds. The problem arose when, during the hot lap, the car came in contact with the track surface after an undulating section was passed, and a puncture in the underbody caused coolant to leak through the structure. The team decided to work through the night so that they could then drive the car, on-road, to Sonoma Raceway, where the second record attempt would be made.
Sonoma: 1:35.05
After major mechanical setbacks from Thunder Hill, the next day, Czinger took to Sonoma Raceway and, in just two hours of being at the track, shaved off 0.70 seconds from the track record. The team was back on track and motivated to make the five records a reality, once again. The margin for error had shrunk significantly, posing a huge threat to the overall goal, but the team was able to successfully break the record with almost no time to spare.
Laguna Seca: 1:24.39
Laguna Seca, known globally for its widowmaker of a feature called “The Corkscrew”, is a challenging track on its own, but for the Czinger team, an extra element exists. They already hold the track record, set previously by a 21C, so for the first time, it was Czinger versus Czinger. The odds weren’t looking great, and with a crash earlier in the day, it didn’t seem like a record was a possibility. After a quick regrouping and small repairs of the car, they went back out and just nabbed a new record, shaving off 0.36 seconds from their old lap time.
Willow Springs: 1:19.73
Day four meant a substantial road drive down to Southern California, where Czinger would then attempt a fourth track record at one of the industry’s most coveted tracks, Willow Springs Raceway. On the very first hot lap, with the same tires they just drove on from Laguna Seca, a new track record was set that shaved off a fairly significant 1.35 seconds. This is a massive feat that, for Czinger at this point, is becoming routine.
Thermal: 2:03.17
For the final track record attempt, Czinger drove the car another three hours to The Thermal Club. Once there, Czinger managed to absolutely destroy the standing record by 10.33 seconds. That type of time gap is unheard of in track records, but a fitting end to the overall mission. This is a massive victory and allowed Czinger to accomplish their initial goal of five track records within five days.
There’s A Movie For Proof
To put into perspective just how colossal a journey Czinger has been on, they went ahead and made a movie documenting the process and individual racetrack records. Check out just how much the team put into this astonishing achievement. The film goes into detail about each track record, the challenges posed by each, and also the integration of 21C as a road car.
What Lukas Czinger Has To Say
Obviously, achieving what Czinger has in just five consecutive days is nothing short of extraordinary. We wanted to have a better understanding of what this achievement means for the team, specifically the visionary behind it all, company founder and CEO, Lukas Czinger.
Out of all the records that were broken during Czinger’s California gold rush, the two that made the most significant impact were Sonoma and Laguna Seca.
A Dream All Along
It might seem like it happened so quickly, out of nowhere, but it turns out the multi-record-shattering status of the 21C was actually a goal from the get-go. “Breaking these records (and more) has been a major goal since the very first engineering brief of 21C.” Out of all the records that were broken during Czinger’s California gold rush, the two that made the most significant impact were Sonoma and Laguna Seca. “We had to really move quickly and break the record with very little time to spare, so Sonoma was a highlight. Laguna Seca was definitely the most challenging, since we were up against our old record. It’s also where we had our largest crash, so the team really had to push on that track against steep odds.”
The Ultimate Proof Of Concept
21C was never meant to be the end-all, be-all hypercar in the traditional sense of an automotive-focused product. It was meant to showcase the technological capabilities of Divergent. “The car, now being proven to be as good as it is, shows the true breadth of capability that we have at Czinger, through Divergent.” It’s difficult to sell an intangible concept to the world’s most renowned manufacturers, but 21C brings the idea of machine-assisted design and the additive manufacturing process to life. “It allows us to show, in a very distinctive physical way, what we can do with our technology”. Since then, competitors have taken notice, even commissioning Czinger as a supplier of complex parts for the world’s most advanced vehicles.
The Value Of A Quality Team
A rather satisfying thing to hear is a CEO’s genuine praise of the very team they lead. Lukas Czinger is proud of the team that has made the dream that is the 21C a reality. “Yes, the technology we use is great, but none of that could come together in the way it has, on the timeline we set, without the right team of people who share a common goal.” It required a solid team effort to turn the 21C concept into a reality in just a few years. Now, it’s that same team effort that helped Czinger focus intensely on breaking the records, sequentially. It took clever planning, technical and mechanical support to pull it off, but they got the job done and did so with poise and determination.
What’s Next?
Breaking the major records in California was only just the beginning. Czinger is poised to take over the rest of the country in due time. “Breaking the records in our home state of California just seemed like a perfect first step.” So, what about a certain large track in Germany where manufacturers love to tout lap times? When asked whether Lukas had a time in mind as a goal, he responded with, “Well, we really want to take it overall. 21C is a globally homologated car, and we still have some work to do before we make the jump to Europe, but it’s definitely on our radar.” It’s exactly the type of mentality we’ve come to expect from Czinger, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.