Beyond the Limit: A Week With the Czinger 21C VMax
For years, the automotive world has been buzzing about Czinger, the Southern California outfit that has thrown the conventional playbook out the window. When the founders, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, appeared on The InEVitable podcast in 2022, the energy was palpable. Lukas Czinger himself, the visionary CEO, recently invited us for a three-day road rally in the flagship Czinger 21C VMax. We were curious about the track prowess, of course, but as enthusiasts and professionals in the hypercar market, we were equally interested in what this 3D-printed, 1,250-horsepower beast felt like in the real world, navigating the scenic roads of Northern California.
What we experienced was something beyond a supercar drive; it was a journey into the future of automotive technology and engineering.
The Factory and the Future of 3D Printing
Setting foot in the Czinger facility is like stepping onto a movie set from the year 2050. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, operates in a realm that bridges the defense industry and supercar manufacturing. To enter, I had to present my U.S. passport. While the military applications remain classified—though Lukas offered a tantalizing glimpse of something that resembled a rocket system—the process highlights the gravity of their additive manufacturing technology.
Lukas, the CEO, guided me through the production floor. Witnessing their massive 3D printers in action felt like a profound moment in automotive history. Lasers fused aluminum powder into complex geometries that resembled bird bones—a stunning testament to design optimization. This technology is pushing beyond the limits of traditional manufacturing, reaching what Lukas calls “Pareto optimality,” where any change, however minute, compromises the design.
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Beyond the Limit: A Week With the Czinger 21C VMax
For years, the automotive world has been buzzing about Czinger, the Southern California outfit that has thrown the conventional playbook out the window. When the founders, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, appeared on The InEVitable podcast in 2022, the energy was palpable. Lukas Czinger himself, the visionary CEO, recently invited us for a three-day road rally in the flagship Czinger 21C VMax. We were curious about the track prowess, of course, but as enthusiasts and professionals in the hypercar market, we were equally interested in what this 3D-printed, 1,250-horsepower beast felt like in the real world, navigating the scenic roads of Northern California.
What we experienced was something beyond a supercar drive; it was a journey into the future of automotive technology and engineering.
The Factory and the Future of 3D Printing
Setting foot in the Czinger facility is like stepping onto a movie set from the year 2050. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, operates in a realm that bridges the defense industry and supercar manufacturing. To enter, I had to present my U.S. passport. While the military applications remain classified—though Lukas offered a tantalizing glimpse of something that resembled a rocket system—the process highlights the gravity of their additive manufacturing technology.
Lukas, the CEO, guided me through the production floor. Witnessing their massive 3D printers in action felt like a profound moment in automotive history. Lasers fused aluminum powder into complex geometries that resembled bird bones—a stunning testament to design optimization. This technology is pushing beyond the limits of traditional manufacturing, reaching what Lukas calls “Pareto optimality,” where any change, however minute, compromises the design.
Take, for example, a simple suspension component. The software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs, balancing space constraints and load requirements to find the absolute strongest and lightest shape. It’s like natural selection, sped up 100,000 times.
Aside from the Department of Defense, nine automotive OEMs utilize Divergent’s 3D printing technology. While the official list includes Aston Martin (DBR22), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1), there is speculation that the Ferrari F80 also incorporates these cutting-edge components.
Understanding the Czinger 21C VMax: A Hybrid Masterpiece
Czinger builds two versions of the 21C: the high-downforce track monster and the wingless VMax, the model I drove on the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile rally through Northern California’s celebrated wine country.
The term “piloting” is used intentionally. The cabin of the VMax feels less like a car interior and more like a fighter jet canopy. Lukas claims it mirrors the cockpit experience, and while I haven’t flown a jet, I have ridden in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the comparison holds true. The glass is positioned less than a foot from your head on both sides, offering breathtaking views but making entry and exit a ritualistic dance. You must place your legs straight out on the massive sill, pull your knees toward your chest, spin your body, tuck your feet into the footwell, and then slide your head under the roof.
This architectural decision isn’t just for show. The massive sills house the batteries for the 21C VMax, a hybrid hypercar system unlike anything else on the market. Each sill contains 2.2 kWh of battery power, totaling 4.4 kWh. The VMax is not a plug-in hybrid; instead, the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the batteries topped up while the car charges itself. These batteries provide an incredible 500 horsepower to the front axle, which utilizes one electric motor per wheel.
The heart of the VMax is a custom-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8. In European specification, it produces 750 horsepower on standard fuel, but on 100-octane race fuel, it reaches a staggering 850 horsepower. Czinger has also confirmed that the engine is ethanol-compatible, promising even higher output figures, which we estimate to be around a 10 percent increase.
For power transfer, the VMax uses an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. Similar to the Xtrac seven-speed in Pagani’s Utopia, Czinger has enhanced this system with 3D-printed transmission cases and small 48-volt electric motors that provide instantaneous gear changes at low speeds. This eliminates the jerky, unnatural lurch often associated with automated single-clutch transmissions. In low-speed scenarios, the twin-barrel actuators work flawlessly. Pulling into parking lots, gas stations, and hotel driveways felt surprisingly smooth and controlled, a significant achievement for a car with this level of power.
The Performance Paradigm: A Technical Deep Dive
Beyond the engineering marvels, the performance of the Czinger 21C VMax is what truly defines it. The car is a technological hybrid, blending traditional internal combustion engines with advanced electric power delivery systems.
Powertrain Architecture
The VMax utilizes a twin-turbo V8 hybrid system where the combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter unit. On premium fuel, it produces 750 horsepower, but switching to 100-octane race fuel unlocks an additional 100 horsepower. The car is also designed to run on ethanol, which Czinger claims will further boost performance, though specific figures are not yet released.
The electrification component is significant. Each sill houses a 2.2 kWh battery, providing a total of 4.4 kWh. This is not a plug-in hybrid system; the batteries are kept charged by the mid-mounted V-8 engine. This configuration allows the front axle to deliver a massive 500 horsepower to the wheels, working in tandem with the rear axle.
Transmission Excellence
The VMax employs an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. While the seven-speed gearbox is similar to the one used in the Pagani Utopia, Czinger has incorporated advanced technologies to enhance its low-speed performance. They have 3D-printed the transmission case using additive manufacturing techniques and added 48-volt electric motors that execute shifts instantly, regardless of the road speed. This innovation effectively eliminates the jerky, unnatural feeling that plagues most automated single-clutch transmissions in low-speed traffic.
Handling and Aerodynamics
One of the defining features of the Czinger lineup is the extensive use of 3D printing in the chassis. Czinger uses a technique where they 3D print complex components that are lighter and stronger than traditional parts. The car’s design is focused on extreme efficiency, known as Pareto optimality, where every gram of weight removed or added must contribute to the overall performance. This meticulous attention to detail translates into a car that feels incredibly precise on the road.
The Track Experience: Pushing the Limits
During the Velocity Tour, we stopped at Laguna Seca for some parade laps. However, non-Czinger employees are not permitted to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the slow speeds of the rally participants. Therefore, I was grateful for the opportunity to experience the car from the passenger seat.
As typical with high-end hypercars, a professional driver—Evan Jacobs—accompanied me to ensure safety. Sitting behind Jacobs, I was immediately struck by the limited visibility due to the side glass being only about a foot from my head. However, the view from the rear seat was still incredible. It truly felt like sitting in a fighter jet, and I gained a newfound appreciation for ride-along experiences on the track.
Jacobs pushed the car to about 6/10ths of its capabilities. The most intense hot lap I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could feel my blood pooling in my extremities during braking. The Czinger VMax is now a close second, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even using the VMax’s full potential.
Even without the full-downforce wing found on the 21C track version, it was easy to understand how the production version achieved the “California Gold Rush.” The 21C set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in just five days, driving between each track on public roads.
Czinger claims the vehicle weighs approximately 3,600 pounds, which is remarkable for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid. To put this in perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano, the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV producing 986 hp, weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (with less power than the Czinger) weighs in at 4,185 pounds.
The SF90 and Temerario are currently the quickest-accelerating gasoline-powered cars MotorTrend has ever tested. If Czinger’s weight claim is accurate, the brand has managed to beat two Italian legends with their entry-level model. This is no small feat, especially considering that Los Angeles is known for many things,