New Czinger 21C Blackbird Edition Was Inspired By The Lockheed SR-71

• Unique design elements hark back to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
• 2.88-liter V8 and electric motors generate 1,350 horsepower - 100 more than standard
• Jet Black paint and exposed carbon fiber livery
• Part of larger 80-car production run for all 21C variants

Czinger has revealed the Blackbird edition of the groundbreaking 21C hypercar at this year's Monterey Car Week. According to Czinger, it's a one-of-a-kind version of the 3D-printed hypercar, and it was built to pay tribute to the SR-71, the high-altitude aircraft, not the American band that wrote the hit song 1985. To do so, not only does it get a series of styling nods, but an extra 100 horsepower over the regular 21C, totaling 1,350 hp.

The SR-71 was the inspiration and driving force that led the father and son duo (Kevin and Lukas Czinger) behind Czinger Vehicles to build something completely out of the box. We simply don't have the space to explain why the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was such a big deal. Basically, it flew higher than anything else and was fast enough to outrun a missile. The Blackbird was so advanced that it entered service in 1966 and only retired in 1999. In short, it's an American icon and quite possibly the most impressive aircraft ever built.

So if you're going to build a car-based homage to the SR-71, you can't afford to get the details wrong.

The 21C is a good starting point for a build like this because you can already see the SR-71-inspired elements on the standard car. It has inline seating, advanced aerodynamics, and a chassis and suspension designed by a supercomputer. The overall design is functional, with almost no quarter given to additional style fluff. This is especially true of the 21C V Max, which runs a low-drag setup to hit a claimed top speed of 253 mph. (The original claimed figure was 281 mph.)

To give the 21C that Blackbird look, the exterior elements are dipped in custom-made Jet Black paint. It also has exposed carbon fiber surfaces. The wheel design was inspired by the view of an SR-71 from the top, and it fits in beautifully with the carbon rim with a titanium hub center.

Our favorite feature is the custom exhaust system. The outlets were designed to look like the SR-71's famous afterburners.

The Blackbird theme continues inside, with a large portion of the interior covered in Alcantara made specifically for this car. There's also black leather on the door spears and steering wheel, satin titanium printed parts, and laser etching finished in Afterburner Orange.

Obviously, the 21C Blackbird can't reach Mach 3, but it is pretty quick. Czinger claims the 21C is the fastest production car in the world, but there are two problems with that statement. First, it's not in production yet. Secondly, we know of a few cars that are faster in a straight line.

Still, pre-production 21Cs have claimed lap records at the Circuit of the Americas and Laguna Seca. Czinger also said it will be going after more international track records, and we're guessing that means a track record at the Nurburgring, which is the only time gearheads care about.

We can't wait to see if Czinger pulls it off. It certainly has the right amount of power, as the 21C is equipped with a mid-mounted 2.88-liter flat-plane crank V8 that revs to 11,000 rpm. Once it enters production, it will join the list of the highest-revving cars available. It also has two electric motors mounted on the front axle, and the combined power output is 1,350 hp - the standard 21C and 21C V Max only make 1,250 hp. Think of it as an even more hardcore version of the 1,001-hp Lamborghini Revuelto, which uses the same basic layout.

While the press release calls the 21C Blackbird a one-of-a-kind, it will eventually become available to customers. The entire 21C run is limited to just 80 units, which will likely be split between the standard 21C, the 21C V Max, and the Blackbird.

"Revealing the Blackbird edition is a full circle moment, as I remember watching Kelly Johnson documentaries and building SR-71 models with my father growing up," explains Lukas Czinger, Co-Founder and COO. "Now as founders deeply inspired by the SR-71 program and Skunkworks mentality, it is with great joy that we offer our customers the most advanced version of the 21C in the Blackbird edition. It is the edition that Kevin and I dreamed of."