How To Print A Hypercar?

Chief technical officer Jon Gunner fills us in and introduces the 21C – the first hypercar from his company Czinger Vehicles.

- Farhan Shah

Just over a century ago, on Dec 1, 1913, Henry Ford installed the first-ever moving assembly line for the mass production of cars. The American business mogul was constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the Ford factory, believing that the more cars he could produce, the more he could sell.

While the concept of an assembly line had already been around during Ford’s time, his creation of the moving chassis assembly line significantly ramped up productivity to the point that he could build a car from scratch in 2.5 hours. Previously, it took 12 hours.

Other manufacturers began copying Ford’s production techniques. Since then – and while robots have replaced team assemblers and companies have improved engines, materials and other components – the moving automotive assembly line is a constant even to this day.

Kevin Czinger wants to change all of that.

A former federal prosecutor and Goldman Sachs executive, Czinger is the founder and CEO of Divergent 3D, a Los Angeles-based start-up specialising in the volume manufacturing of advanced, lightweight structures without the use of expensive tools.

In March this year, the entrepreneur and automotive enthusiast burst onto the scene with a bang when he unveiled the Czinger 21C hypercar at a private event in London. The 21C also marked the public unveiling of Czinger Vehicles, a new American car manufacturer named after its founder.

On the surface, the 21C looks like any other souped-up supercar with the only significant difference being the tandem seating arrangement. But a closer look reveals that the 21C is indeed a hypercar, capable of completing the century sprint in 1.9 seconds. More significantly, it didn’t roll off an assembly line. It is printed.