At first glance you might think the Czinger 21C belongs in a garage with the rest of the speed machines made by new and ambitious startups. The 21C is Czinger’s first car available for purchase. 80 will be made. It’s incredibly fast and expensive.The body is carbon fiber, as are other chassis pieces. The exhaust system is 3D-printed Inconel. But this car is more than a spec sheet and to assume otherwise is a disservice.
The 21C is really a display case for a new method of automotive manufacturing that uses 3D printing to create parts that are lighter and stronger than those made with traditional methods like casting or forging. Instead of a traditional A-arm that looks like a wishbone, the Czinger’s look organic, like the muscle between your elbow and wrist. Look around their site and you’ll see more strange shapes formed out of bespoke titanium and aluminum alloys.
3D printing gives Czinger the ability to add material in precise places to maximize strength without any of the waste that comes from old methods. In the same way a suspension bridge was a leap forward over stones and concrete, Czinger’s methods could be game-changer in automotive manufacturing. It’s more agile too. In the past, creating a new part meant building new tooling; A cast part requires a new mold. With 3D printing you simply adjust the design on a computer and use the same printer you did last time.
The Czinger 21C is a very fast car because it’s light and powerful (watch the video to learn just how fast). But the really exciting part is how it’s so light.
A lot of people create fast cars. Not many create a new way to build them.