A newcomer to the performance automotive scene has been setting speed records this summer with its 3D-printed hypercar. On Aug. 26, the 21C, made by Los Angeles-based company Czinger, set a lap record on California's Laguna Seca track for production cars—meaning those sold to customers and not just used on the track.
While these record-breaking performances are impressive, Lukas and his father, Kevin Czinger, who is the company’s CEO, have far grander ambitions than just building fast cars. The 21C is a showcase of what’s possible using parent company Divergent's end-to-end design and manufacturing platform, which integrates artificial intelligence, advanced material science, and 3D printing. Together, these technologies allow the company to streamline design to use as few materials as possible.
It's not the first time a new American automaker has used a high-tech sports car to make its mark, with the ultimate aim of bringing that same cutting-edge technology to the mainstream. In 2008, Tesla began shipping the Roadster in small quantities, part of CEO Elon Musk's"" to use luxury vehicle profits to finance more affordable models. Divergent’s path has some similarities, albeit with a different end game.
DAPS has another trick up its sleeve. A typical car factory makes only a handful of models because the equipment, such as the molds used to make the chassis, are specific to only those vehicles. By contrast, the 3D printing process used in the Czinger 21C’s production is “product independent,” meaning a single factory could be used to make “200, 300, a thousand” different products, Lukas Czinger says.