There’s a lot to talk about the Czinger 21C, from its 3D printed design to its ridiculous lap time at Laguna Seca, to its technological inspiration being the SR-71 Blackbird. But what no one knew until now about the highly limited hypercar is how it is to drive.

Top Gear’s Jack Rix has finally gotten the chance to sample this technological marvel that’s faster around Laguna Seca than a McLaren Senna.

To start with, the Czinger 21C certainly behaves in a manner that reflects the way it looks, which is to say, unusually. To start with, this preproduction model has a seven-speed sequential transmission with straight-cut gears. Using a hand clutch to get off the line, though, means that there’s a whole new learning curve for the vast majority of drivers and you’re fairly likely to stall it.

Read More: Production Czinger 21C Arrives As A 3D-Printed Hybrid Hypercar With 1,233 HP And A 281 MPH Top Speed

Once you’re up to speed, though, the gear changes are lightning-fast going both up and down the cogs and it’s pretty clear why a company obsessed with speed would have picked this transmission. Similarly, the unusual seating position takes some getting used to.

“You’ve got electric motors, two of them on the front axle in front of me,” says Rix. “And then the driver, and then the passenger, and then the V8 engine behind me, which means you’re a bit squashed up. The whole car is massively long and I’m tucked in the nose like some sort of turbo era F1 car.”

The result of the weirdness, though, is something that makes you feel alive. With a dry weight of 1,240 kg (2,733 lbs) and 1,233 hp (1,250 PS / 919 kW), the car is extremely fast. “Look, I knew this thing was gonna be fast,” says Rix. “But oh my word, the way that the throttle picks up, the way that the engine revs out – Ooooh! That was just a cheeky 9,000 [rpm]!”

He also says that it feels like an LMP car in which you can feel the downforce (650 kg at 100 mph) keeping you on the road.

“The steering is actually really good. I like it,” says Rix. “There’s plenty of feel. I talked earlier about the yoke steering wheel meaning you’ve got to keep your hands in the right place and right now they’re not going anywhere, because right now I’m trying to hold to this beast around Willow Springs.”

So the driving experience matches the insane performance. Sounds, then, like the 18 people who will be able to buy one will be very happy indeed.