Limited to 80 units, 0-60 in 1.9 seconds, $1.7M price tag, and entirely 3D printed in house? Sounds like the future, but it’s here. Czinger quietly unveiled its 21C hypercar, earlier this year, in February. As you’ve seen in previous posts, 3D printing is quickly becoming the new synonym for efficient manufacturing.
Creating the 21C truly shows how this is a revolutionary way of automotive production. While traditional manufacturing requires extensive assembly lines and robots, Czinger’s process only involves one singular location in the factory for the entire assembly. An added benefit is that different models can be made with the same equipment, instead of requiring different assembly lines. As stated by CEO and founder, Kevin Czinger, “[the components] look like something from nature because nature competes for material and energy. It has to be efficient.” As stated before, 3D printing is known for its increased efficiency, since only the exact amount of material needed is used.
The effectiveness of this is shown by the impressive statistics of the car. At about 2,685 pounds for the track variant and 2,756 pounds for the road version, the hypercar is much lighter than its competitors. This is also thanks to its equally admirable output numbers. Its hybrid system includes a 2.9L twin-turbo V8 mated to 3 electric motors, producing a total of 1,233 horsepower. That power-to-weight ratio is less than cars of similar caliber, such as the McLaren Senna, and those of higher class, such as the Bugatti Chiron and Chiron Pur Sport.
What’s also impressive is the way it’s made. Divergent 3D is an LA-based company that was founded by Czinger’s founder, Kevin Czinger, and raised over $65M a few years ago. Divergent’s main goal is establishing a factory for 3D printing manufacturing, which it has claimed that it can do, to produce Czinger’s cars. All in all, due to COVID-19’s slowdown, Czinger is still making tweaks to the 21C, but claims it has received positive comments from potential customers. CCO Jens Sverdrup also said, “It’s the future. I would be very surprised if, in 20 years, this is not the way cars are built.” I certainly see a change, but do you agree? Only time will tell. Tell us your thoughts below, stay safe!
Additional Resources:
- https://www.motortrend.com/news/2021-czinger-21c-hypercar-first-look-review-details-photos-price/
- https://www.autoblog.com/2020/07/04/czinger-21c-3d-printed-supercar-interview/#slide-endcap
- https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1127356_deep-dive-czinger-21c-3d-printed-hypercar-changes-how-cars-are-built
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2017/11/21/divergent-3d-raises-over-65-million-for-its-car-factory-of-the-future/#d8d47f250fc9
- https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a31017626/the-czinger-21c-is-americas-3d-printed-hybrid-hypercar/
