The Czinger 21C is a 3D-printed, $1.7 million hypercar that can do 268mph

[Matrix]

 

 

In a nutshell: We’ve seen 3D printing techniques create a multitude of items, and now the process has been used to build a hypercar for the first time. The Czinger 21C will be officially shown off at the Geneva Motor Show in around two weeks, but its full details have been revealed.

While the entire car doesn’t come from a 3D printer, obviously, large portions of the chassis were created using the technology. That does save on production costs, but you'll still need $1.7 million to buy one of the 80 models (25 track, 55 road).

 

 

The Czinger (the ‘C’ is silent) 21C uses an in-house developed 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 937 bhp and can be revved up to 11,000rpm. It’s a hybrid, meaning there are also two electric motors on the front axle powered by a 2kWh lithium-titanate battery that’s kept supplied with juice by a rear-mounted generator.

 

 

The extra horsepower added by the electric motors brings the 21C’s total to 1,233bhp, more than the McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, and Aston Martin Valkyrie.

 

 

With a weight of just 1,250kg (2,755 pounds) wet, the 21C has a power-to-weight ratio better than 1:1 in the track version. Performance-wise, the hypercar can accelerate to 62mph from a standing start in 1.9 seconds, complete a quarter-mile in 8.3 seconds at 170mph, and reach a top speed of 268mph. It produces 551 pounds of downforce at 155 mph.

 

 

The mid-engine car uses a 1+1 layout, which means the driver seat is in a central position with the passenger seat located directly behind it, like a fighter jet. It won't be uncomfortable, either, as a collaboration with material-maker Alcantara and US furniture designers Vitra AG should mean a luxurious cabin.

 

 

In addition to being more rigid and costing less to produce, the 3D materials used in the 21C are easily recyclable, meaning more car manufacturers could follow suit. “I want to build really bad-ass stuff, but if you’re a craftsman who is actually a technologist, you need to create the right tools. I want this car company Czinger to be five blocks ahead of anybody else on the planet in creating these tools and expressing them as the cutting edge of the mind.” CEO Kevin Czinger told Top Gear.

 

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