WSB & PCPD Arrive At Spoon Island; Did Cassius Bury Josslyn Alive? General Hospital Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: The Future of Speed, One 3D-Printed Kilometer at a Time There are cars that wow you and then there are cars that fundamentally shift your perception of what automotive technology is capable of. The Czinger 21C VMax falls definitively into the latter category. As the final stop on a multi-day Southern California road rally, this seven-figure, 1,250-horsepower hypercar served not just as a technical marvel, but as a philosophical statement about the future of speed, performance, and digital manufacturing. We’ve tracked the promise of Czinger for years, and finally, we put their ground-breaking vision to the test. Factory Fresh: Where Software Meets Steel (and Titanium) The journey begins even before the engine starts, with an introduction to Czinger’s parent company, Divergent Technologies. Walking into the Divergent headquarters is less like entering a car factory and more like stepping into a futuristic research facility. The mandatory use of a U.S. passport underscores the seriousness of the operation—Divergent is a strategic partner to the U.S. Department of Defense, supplying them with incredibly advanced, lightweight, and strong mechanical components. Though the military hardware was shrouded during our visit (one piece bore a striking resemblance to a rocket), the star of the show was Divergent’s core innovation. Lukas Czinger, the young and charismatic CEO of both companies, offered a tour that was nothing short of mind-bending. Standing beside one of the colossal 3D printers felt like peering into the future. Lasers zipped across powdered aluminum, fusing layers into automotive parts that looked like delicate bird bones but possessed the strength of forged steel. This isn’t traditional manufacturing; it’s generative engineering. Lukas explained that this process achieves Pareto optimality—the point where a single gram of weight added or removed becomes a performance liability. The software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs for a single component, optimizing for strength, weight, and structural integrity. Imagine an engineer needing a rear suspension remote reservoir mount. Instead of a standard bracket, the system generates a fractal, organic shape that can withstand extreme forces while weighing next to nothing. This is evolution on fast-forward, a paradigm shift in how cars are designed and built. While their work for the DOD is critical, automotive OEM applications are rapidly expanding. Nine manufacturers currently utilize Divergent’s 3D-printed components. While Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren are public partners, it’s widely suspected that many other elite manufacturers, including potentially Ferrari with its F80 control arms, are sourcing their additive manufacturing needs from the California-based powerhouse. Under the Carbon Fiber: The Hybrid Architecture Czinger offers two versions of the 21C. The standard 21C (named for the 21st century) is a high-downforce track weapon, while the 21C VMax sheds the wing for a longer tail and road-friendly aerodynamics. It was the latter, the silver VMax, that we piloted on the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile pilgrimage through the rolling hills and vineyards of Central and Northern California. The cabin feels less like a car and more like a fighter jet canopy. Czinger deliberately evokes a jet fighter experience, and they nail it. The visibility is breathtaking. With glass enclosing the cockpit on all sides, the world feels immediate and expansive. The ingress and egress, however, are intentionally “ridiculous” and very much part of the experience. You must perch on the massive sill, pull your knees up, spin your body as you tuck your feet into the footwell, and slide your head under the roof. It’s a ritual, a mechanical ballet required to enter the sanctum of the machine. One reason the sills are so substantial is what they house: the Czinger VMax hybrid power system. Each sill contains a 2.2 kWh battery pack, giving the VMax a 4.4 kWh total. This isn’t a plug-in hybrid; the system is charged by a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. This powerhouse generates 750 horsepower on standard California 91 octane fuel. However, pump in 100-octane race fuel, and the output jumps to 850 hp. Czinger has also experimented with ethanol, which promises even more power, though specific figures remain proprietary. The V-8 drives the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is akin to the seven-speed transmission found in Pagani’s Utopia. But Czinger takes this concept further. Not only is the transmission case 3D-printed, but they’ve integrated small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds. This innovation brilliantly eliminates the jerky, surging feel that plagues traditional automated manual transmissions at low speeds. Pulling into parking lots, gas stations, and restaurants felt remarkably smooth—a testament to their engineering prowess and a welcome relief from the mechanical violence typical of hypercar gearboxes. Track Time: Pushing the Envelope The Southern California start featured pro driver Evan Jacobs in the co-pilot seat. As is standard practice with ultra-exclusive vehicles, Czinger ensures the safety of their million-dollar machines and the driver’s nerves. It wasn’t long before Jacobs—assessing my capabilities—gave the nod for me to drive solo for the remainder of the tour. We made a planned stop at Laguna Seca, but non-Czinger employees are restricted from driving the VMax on track, even at the parade speeds permitted during the rally. However, one can always appreciate the machine from the co-pilot seat. Getting into the rear seat is an engineering challenge in itself. My XXL calves were wedged uncomfortably between the carbon-fiber tub and the seat. But the visibility was outstanding. Again, the jet-fighter analogy held true. Watching a track day unfold from this position, something I’ve done countless times, felt novel and deeply immersive. Jacobs managed to convince the Skip Barber Racing School staff to let him take the VMax for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps. The most brutal passenger lap I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where the sheer braking forces nearly emptied my pockets onto the floor. The Czinger VMax is now a very close second. Even holding back at less than full throttle, without the massive rear-wing downforce of the standard 21C, it was clear how the car achieved the California Gold Rush. The 21C VMax previously set five production car track records in five days at tracks including Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—driving the route between each track under its own power. More recently, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to shatter their own record, reclaiming the top spot from a track-specific Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The lap time of 1 minute 22.30 seconds is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna (a 1:22.56). This performance is simply staggering. Czinger claims a vehicle weight of just 3,600 pounds. For a 1,250-hp hybrid, this is remarkably light. Consider the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 PHEV, producing less power at 986 hp—which weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8, exceeds two tons at 4,185 pounds. The SF90 and Temerario are two of the quickest-accelerating gasoline-powered cars MotorTrend has ever tested. If Czinger’s weight figures are accurate, they have surpassed these Italian giants in core performance metrics with their debut production model. This is a monumental achievement, especially considering Los Angeles is not exactly the traditional hotbed of supercar manufacturing. On the Road: The Compromises of Perfection The chosen route for the Velocity Tour was intentional: real back roads. Tight, winding, and often weathered asphalt—not the smooth, sweeping curves of a perfect supercar dream trip. Plus, there was plenty of following the pack and navigating to lunch stops. At the time, I felt slightly disappointed. In retrospect, however, this offered a realistic look at what most owners will actually experience. To my surprise, the VMax handled like a relatively normal hyper-exotic. Take everything out of your pockets—the seats are tight. Finish your water before entering—no cupholders. And prepare for constant scrutiny—drivers between 16 and 24 will likely stare, follow, wave, and rev. But beyond the attention, the ride quality exceeded expectations. The car doesn’t feel overly stiff, earning Czinger applause. The air conditioning also works remarkably well. However, one oversight became immediately apparent: cabin noise. It’s not the glorious bellow of the V-8; it’s the lack of sound deadening. This might be acceptable for a track-focused 21C, but for the road-oriented VMax, it’s a glaring flaw. Spending hours in the cabin, the droning noise becomes grating. While performance is paramount, sacrificing ten to twenty pounds of sound-deadening material seems like a small price for a vastly improved experience. Getting to the Good Part: 0–1