Over three years have passed since the controversial Czinger 21C hybrid hypercar made its premiere, intended to upend the industry with its performance and cutting-edge production techniques. You may recall that in 2021, at the WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway in California, the all-American hypercar surpassed the previous record set by the McLaren Senna by setting a lap record of 1 minute, 25.44 seconds.

Thus, it is clear that the Czinger 21C is more than just a pipe dream. During Monterey Car Week, Czinger unveiled a new iteration of the hypercar that honors the powerful Lockheed SR-71, which served as the 21C’s original inspiration. The Czinger 21C Blackbird Edition is a formidable hypercar that resembles a covert jet that is prepared to shatter sound barriers.

It goes without saying that the storied Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is one of the most recognizable military aircraft ever built by the United States. The limited edition Czinger 21C, which takes its cues from the well-known espionage plane, has a covert all-black design. The custom paint job on the hybrid hypercar is called Jet Black, fittingly. Furthermore, the bodywork is adorned with a significant amount of exposed carbon fiber and Blackbird emblems that showcase an SR-71 silhouette. The exhaust mufflers are made to resemble actual afterburners, while the wheels also have a top-down silhouette of the SR-71 as the spokes.

Inside the interior, where there is a tandem seating arrangement with the passenger seat behind the driver’s, the Blackbird design is carried on. In addition, the seats have been designed to resemble an afterburner’s glow. As a tribute to the SR-71, more titanium parts have been added to the cabin.

The Blackbird Edition was created using the California-based company’s exclusive Human-AI system, just as the original Czinger 21C and the V Max version that made its premiere at Goodwood last year. It will also be constructed with the use of additive manufacturing technology. The custom 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine of the Czinger powers it, with help from a pair of electric motors up front.

The American manufacturer, however, has modified the powerplant to add 100 horsepower, bringing the total output to an absurd 1350 horsepower. Czinger has not disclosed the Blackbird Edition’s price or the quantity of units it plans to produce. At $3 million, the regular 21C was unveiled, and Czinger had declared that 80 units of the hypercar—all the special editions included—will be produced.

Lockheed “Blackbird” SR-71The storied SR-71 was created by Lockheed’s Skunk Works division as a covert project in the 1960s. With a speed more than Mach 3, it was a long-range reconnaissance aircraft when it joined the US armed forces in 1966. As the spy plane flew from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., it broke several speed records. Sixth of March, 1990. Records show that the aircraft crossed the continental United States at an average speed of 2,144.8 miles per hour in just 64 minutes and 20 seconds. The SR-71 continues to be the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft in the world as of 2023.