- Czinger first set a lap record in Laguna Seca in 2021 – and it was broken by a Koenigsegg Jesko Attack on August 18 this year.
- The Californian firm only let Koenigsegg have the record for eight days.
- Thanks to its hybrid high-revving V8 and aerodynamic design, the 21C was 0.11 seconds faster than the Jesko.
Czinger has snatched back the production car lap record at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca from Koenigsegg, blitzing the circuit in just 1:24.75 with the 21C hypercar.
The American manufacturer first secured the crown at Laguna Seca back in 2021 when it set a lap time of 1:25.44 with Joel Miller behind the wheel. That record stood for three years until August 18 this year, when Koenigsegg sent a Jesko Attack to the circuit and recorded a time of 1:24.86. Rather than let its Swedish rival bask in the glory of this record, Czinger returned to the circuit on August 26 and shaved 11-tenths off the Jesko’s benchmark.
Read: Czinger’s Latest 21C Hypercar Is The All-White Special ‘El Mirage’
The Czinger 21C used to set the new record is one of the more dramatic examples we’ve seen. It’s finished in what the small firm describes as ‘Rattesnake’ Green carbon fiber and is the same car that was at July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. While Czinger is still a small company, the quality of weaved carbon fiber looks exceptional, and it’s been contrasted with numerous bright red accents.
One of the key factors in the 21C’s extraordinary performance is the engine. As opposed to sourcing an engine from another company, Czinger developed the hypercar’s powertrain in-house, allowing it to craft a bespoke 2.88-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with a flat-plane crank. This V8 revs to a dizzying 11,000 rpm and produces 950 hp. Additional power is provided by a pair of electric motors, allowing the car to produce 1,233 hp in standard guise or as much as 1,333 hp with an optional power upgrade.
By modern standards, this track-focused weapon is also very light, tipping the scales at under 2,733 lbs (1,240 kg) dry. It’s a joy to watch it roar through some of Laguna Seca’s high-speed corners and doesn’t appear to suffer from any traction loss, except for a slight bit of occasional understeer.
Will Koenigsegg let Czinger hold on to this record for long or will it hope to reclaim it with the Jesko Attack? We’ll have to wait and find out.