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The extraordinary Czinger 21C is, by a comfortable margin, the quickest car currently built in the United States when it comes to lap times. Last year, it claimed five different track records in California, and later in the same year it once again reclaimed the record at Laguna Seca as part of its long-running rivalry with Koenigsegg. With its central-cockpit two-seat layout and canopy-style roof, it is also one of the most distinctive cars being produced anywhere in the world today. The newest version, the 21C Spyder, makes the machine even more unusual while giving away very little of its proven circuit ability.

As its name indicates, the 21C Spyder is the first Czinger to be offered as a convertible. Its primary roof structure is a removable glass canopy, and with that canopy in place, downforce remains exactly on par with the fixed-roof 21C HDF model at 3307 lb at 150 MPH.

What is even more impressive is how it performs once that canopy is taken off. Even with the roof removed, the Czinger still produces 3267 lb of downforce at 150 MPH. That means the 21C Spyder remains quick enough to come very close to the record-breaking pace of its fixed-roof sibling, while also delivering the grip needed to potentially challenge road-legal track records in open-top form. Buyers of the 21C Spyder also receive a pull-out roof for unexpected rain when the fixed canopy is sitting on its bespoke Czinger-designed stand at home, although that temporary top is unlikely to be the ideal setup for chasing lap records.

The Spyder also gains an advantage by reaching customers later than both the 21C HDF and the low-drag V-Max. Inside, it gets an updated steering wheel and dashboard arrangement, along with additional creature comforts such as improved air-conditioning ducts. The launch car’s cabin is trimmed in an eye-catching brown-and-blue two-tone finish, reinforcing the impression that this is the closest Czinger has yet come to building a grand tourer.

More important still are the mechanical changes hidden behind the wheels, where the car uses a braking system integrated directly into the suspension uprights. Czinger refers to this setup as BrakeNode, and says it cuts unsprung mass by 6 lb compared with the already weight-optimised assemblies fitted to earlier 21C versions. The company also says the system increases stiffness by 30%, makes brake pad replacement easier, and, because of a more even distribution of force, can reduce stopping distances by as much as 15%. These new brakes come as standard on the Spyder, and they will also be offered as an optional upgrade for fixed-roof 21C models.

Czinger intends to build only 30 examples of the 21C Spyder. Priced at $2.75 million, the hypercar starts at roughly $400,000 more than the other two 21C variants. Like every current Czinger product, it is designed and manufactured at the company’s California facility on its distinctive organic-looking “BioLogic” platform.