Czinger’s hypo racer breaks Laguna Seca record.
Czinger has cut two seconds from the standing Laguna Seca record held by the McLaren Senna.
The US car brand with its 21C hypercar completed a lap of its home country circuit in a time of 1:24:44.
American driver Joel Miller steered the car on road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres and the results have been verified by GPS.
Miller said of the achievement: “You can feel what the car is doing in the steering wheel. What the powertrain is capable of doing is absolutely mind-blowing at maximum power. When setting the record at Laguna Seca, it was not by a little bit but a massive amount!”
Ewan Baldry, Czinger’s Chief Engineer, has also suggested that more records are on the horizon.
Czinger’s hypercar is a rival for the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rimac. The production car is a way off, though, and is slated to launch in 2023. Differences of the concept to production vehicle are that it has been widened to a 2050mm width. The unusual 1+1 driver-ahead-of passenger seating arrangement remains, but after three years of testing on both road and track, engineers wanted a wider tyre for more mid-corner grip.
With this the 21C’s entire exterior has been redesigned. With a wider body, stylists and engineers could further optimise air-bending to significantly boost downforce. With more room, an even more sophisticated suspension arrangement could be packaged, improving handling and, thanks to revised ‘active’ feature, the American hypercar can alter how high it rides benefiting downforce and handling even further.
What hasn’t changed is the car-maker’s novel ultra-lightweight aluminium-carbon-fibre chassis that ensure the 21C, even in production trim, still only tips the scales at a featherweight 1240kg (dry), providing the hallowed 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.
The engine is a twin-turbocharged 2.88-litre V8 unit that can run on eco-friendly, carbon-neutral bio-methanol fuel. Also, somewhat unusually for a startup company, the unit has been developed completely in-house. It has a redline of 11,000rpm – and generates 708kW on its own.
It’s supported by a pair of 100kW electric motors on the front axle, which offers a combined maximum output of 919kW, giving the company firm sights on Bugatti when it comes to fit, finish and levels of build quality, with the engine bay now claimed to have been redesigned to resemble a Patek Philippe watch.
However, deliveries won;t come until around 2023 and at a cost, with a confirmed price of $2.7m in local currency.
