STraNgER In A STraNgE LAND

The Czinger 21C redefines hypercar reality.

- MATT FARAH

THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY of car production, the vast majority of upstart automakers have begun with an idea for a new car and then eventually built a factory to make that car. It's not often you hear about someone who starts with the factory, only to then wonder, “What should we build to show this thing off?”

But father and son Kevin and Lukas Czinger wondered just that. They could have chosen to develop something easier, but luckily for us, they built a car. And what a car it is.

The Czinger 21C looks like a UFO on the outside and feels like a fighter plane inside. It makes noises that cars don’t make. And it’s so insanely fast that in July, Czinger set five California lap records in five days—between road trips from track to track.

Lukas, now 31 years old, a Yale graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, is the president and CEO of both Czinger Vehicles and its sister company, Divergent Technologies. Kevin, who founded Divergent in 2014, is executive chairman of both companies and remains involved.

The Czingers don’t talk like regular car enthusiasts. They don’t talk like Silicon Valley tech people. They talk like people who make things.

A. (Previous pages) The Czinger 21C appears incongruous with the real world.

B. Inside is a surprising amount of room for elbows and legs.

C. You say you hate rear windows? Czinger has you covered.

D. A peek under that rear lid reveals the car's beautifully rendered structure and suspension.

E. The hyperquick 21C looks only slightly stranger than usual in this photo.