Czinger has made a roofless convertible version of its 21C hybrid hypercar. Because of course it has. If you had a tandem central-seat twin-turbo V8 rocketship which revved to 11,000rpm and developed over 1,200bhp, you’d want more stimulation right? You’d want the wind in your hair. You’d want the smell of petrol in your nostrils. You’d want to not be able to hear yourself scream.
Czinger says with the solid roof panel removed (you have to leave it at home, but there’s a fabric emergency roof you can stow on board) the car only loses 18kg of downforce versus the hard-top 21C. That means you get 1,482kg of downforce at 150mph and that’s apparently a world record for an open-top car. Well, a road legal one at any rate.
0-60mph takes 1.9 seconds. The top speed is 205mph, so long as you remember to attach the roof firmly.
But it’s how the 21C Spyder slows back down that Czinger is especially proud of. This is the first Czinger to be fitted with something called ‘BrakeNode’.
In short, instead of mounting a brake caliper to a suspension upright and routing hydraulic fluid through high-pressure lines, it’s all integrated into one sinewy organic-looking unit.
That makes the braking system lighter and more efficient, which reduces stopping distances by up to 15 per cent. Which sounds deeply uncomfortable.
Besides being stronger, lighter and more effective at a brake’s chief job of dissipating heat, it’s also easier to service. Hypercar service centres of the world, rejoice.
If you’d already bought a hard-top Czinger, the new BrakeNode componentry can be retrofitted to improve your stopping power too. Expect more American-based lap records to fall soon.
There’s more sci-fi metalwork in the cabin. Czinger explains the dashboard is “an exoskeletal form that is both beautiful and functional, with airflow moving through the structure itself into integrated air vents. The vehicle controls, HVAC, steering wheel and instrument panel are all folded into a single lightweight structure.” Remind yourself, this is a street car, not some captured UFO they’re talking about.
Only 30 Spyders will be made, each selling for $2.75 million before options. Top Gun training costs extra. Do you feel the need?
