Last year, the Rimac Nevera electrified the motoring world by becoming the fastest street-legal production vehicle to tackle Goodwood’s iconic hill. The Croatian electric hypercar blazed through the 1.87-kilometre course, navigating its nine turns in a breathtaking 49.32 seconds. But the title has now crossed the Atlantic, claimed by an American contender with a combustion heart.

Chris Ward, behind the wheel of the Czinger 21C, conquered the hill in just 48.83 seconds. This hybrid marvel, combining futuristic design with brute force, has now etched its name in the record books as the fastest production road car at Goodwood. However, it’s worth noting that the overall speed crown still belongs to the McMurtry Spéirling, a single-seater EV that former F1 driver Max Chilton piloted to an astonishing 39.08-second run in 2022.

Keen observers might have spotted a bit of drama during the Czinger’s run – a side mirror dangling precariously after a minor brush with a haystack. This mishap likely caused a slight aerodynamic drag, yet the 21C still managed to outpace the Rimac Nevera by nearly half a second.

While the Czinger 21C is technically a production car, only 80 units will see the light of day, making it far more exclusive than the Rimac Nevera’s 150-unit production run. Crafted in California, the 21C packs a ferocious 2.88-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that screams up to 11,000 rpm, paired with two front-mounted electric motors to deliver a combined output of 1,250 horsepower.

The record-setting run was accomplished with a standard 21C, but Czinger offers even more extreme versions. The 21C V Max can hit a staggering 407 km/h compared to the standard model’s 352 km/h. Then there’s the 21C Blackbird, the pinnacle of Czinger’s lineup with a monstrous 1,350 horsepower. This track-focused variant is the rarest of the bunch, with only four units planned.

Goodwood’s hill climb remains the ultimate proving ground for production cars, and this year’s event reminded us that in the relentless pursuit of speed, records are meant to be broken. The Rimac Nevera may have been dethroned, but the battle for hill climb supremacy is far from over.