The 1,332bhp Czinger 21C is now the fastest ever production car up the hill at Goodwood

Have a watch of that video below. That’s British racer Chris Ward absolutely on the edge as he breaks the production car record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in California’s revolutionary hybrid hypercar – the Czinger 21C. Some driving.

In fact, you’ll probably notice that Ward tips slightly over the edge towards the end of the 1.16-mile run as he clips a hay bale and takes the wing mirror and some aero off on his way to a time of 48.82 seconds. Yeesh.

The 21C looks absolutely mighty, we think you’ll agree. It uses a huge amount of 3D printing in its construction, features tandem seating with a central driving position, and deploys a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 and two electric motors to send a total of 1,332bhp (almost 100bhp more than was originally announced thanks to an optional upgrade) to all four wheels. It sounded absolutely fantastic at Goodwood, too.

It’s now the fastest ever road-legal production car up the hill. The overall record currently stands at a ridiculous 39.08 seconds, set by Max Chilton in the McMurtry Spéirling in 2022.

The 21C that set the production car record was finished in a special Rattlesnake Green livery that apparently takes inspiration from the Mojave Green rattlesnake of California, while also paying tribute to legendary drag racer Don "The Snake" Prudhomme.

“We’re going to be taking this car to tracks, we’re going to be going after track records. We're going to be having fun,” boss Kevin Czinger told TG last week, before the 21C had secured its Goodwood record.

“I think there are going to be a couple of tribute road trips too. I grew up with some racing heroes in the US that are still alive, and I’d love to drive to them and meet them. 

“The first car is being delivered to a customer in August and then we'll deliver 80 cars over the next two years after that. The 21C is a car that has been through full crash testing. You have to do about 40 crashes. This car has zero exemptions and full homologation for crash and emissions including California Air Resources Board 2028 compliance.”

Oh, and through its manufacturing company Divergent, Czinger now also has deals with Bugatti, McLaren, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG and two further as-yet unnamed German and Italian sports car companies. “Those are really our six foundational companies that we’re a tier one supplier for, providing digital engineering and then digital manufacturing of structures which nobody else on the planet does,” says Kevin. Busy times.

Hillclimb photography: @skelly_photography