Czinger 21C VMax: The Future of Hypercars or Utter Madness? A Real-World Review
The automotive world has always flirted with the impossible, but the Czinger 21C VMax doesn’t just flirt with it; it seduces it with a laser-guided, 3D-printed kiss. This isn’t just another hypercar; it’s a statement. Built in the automotive cradle of Southern California, this machine represents the pinnacle of modern engineering—a marriage of raw power, advanced technology, and daring design. Having spent a significant amount of time behind the yoke, I can tell you this: it is unlike anything else on the road, and honestly, it might be too much for public roads.
We recently put the Czinger 21C VMax through its paces during the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile hypercar road rally through the picturesque but demanding roads of Northern California wine country. The experience was less a high-performance drive and more an immersion into the future of 1250 horsepower engineering.
The Genesis of the Future: Inside Divergent Technologies
Before discussing the driving experience, you need to understand the environment where the 21C VMax was born. Czinger is not just a car company; it is the consumer-facing arm of Divergent Technologies. Divergent is a pioneer in 3D-printed automotive components, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to design and produce components that are both incredibly light and unbelievably strong. This innovative approach allows the company to achieve what engineers call the “Pareto optimal,” a point where every gram of material is maximized for strength and performance.
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Czinger 21C VMax: The Future of Hypercars or Utter Madness? A Real-World Review
The automotive world has always flirted with the impossible, but the Czinger 21C VMax doesn’t just flirt with it; it seduces it with a laser-guided, 3D-printed kiss. This isn’t just another hypercar; it’s a statement. Built in the automotive cradle of Southern California, this machine represents the pinnacle of modern engineering—a marriage of raw power, advanced technology, and daring design. Having spent a significant amount of time behind the yoke, I can tell you this: it is unlike anything else on the road, and honestly, it might be too much for public roads.
We recently put the Czinger 21C VMax through its paces during the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile hypercar road rally through the picturesque but demanding roads of Northern California wine country. The experience was less a high-performance drive and more an immersion into the future of 1250 horsepower engineering.
The Genesis of the Future: Inside Divergent Technologies
Before discussing the driving experience, you need to understand the environment where the 21C VMax was born. Czinger is not just a car company; it is the consumer-facing arm of Divergent Technologies. Divergent is a pioneer in 3D-printed automotive components, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to design and produce components that are both incredibly light and unbelievably strong. This innovative approach allows the company to achieve what engineers call the “Pareto optimal,” a point where every gram of material is maximized for strength and performance.
Walking into the Divergent facility is an experience in itself. It’s where the future of advanced vehicle engineering is physically realized. The sheer scale of the 3D printers is awe-inspiring. Massive arrays of lasers fuse powdered aluminum into automotive parts that look less like traditional components and more like organic, skeletal structures. This is additive manufacturing applied to the extreme.
But Divergent’s reach extends beyond the realm of sports cars. The company has a significant contract with the Department of Defense, supplying parts for defense contractors. While details remain classified, witnessing the high-tech manufacturing process firsthand gave me a glimpse of how this revolutionary technology is being used to push the boundaries of engineering across various industries.
Currently, Divergent supplies 3D-printed parts to nine automotive OEMs. While the company is discreet, some high-profile clients have been publicly acknowledged. Aston Martin’s DBR22 Roadster, Bugatti’s Tourbillon, and McLaren’s W1 all benefit from Divergent’s manufacturing expertise. Whispers suggest that even Ferrari’s F80 uses their control arms, although official confirmation remains elusive. This is the ecosystem that breeds the Czinger 21C, a lightweight hypercar with a pedigree unlike any other.
Czinger 21C vs. 21C VMax: Understanding the Difference
Czinger offers two versions of the 21C platform: the track-focused 21C and the VMax. The “21C” designation signifies the car’s 21st-century origins, but the “21C” badging appears nowhere on the carbon fiber chassis. We had the pleasure of driving the VMax, the wingless, long-tailed version designed for road use.
The Velocity Tour took us through the renowned vineyards of Central and Northern California, a route that challenged the VMax with tight turns and imperfect asphalt. This setting was perfect for understanding the car’s center-steer, tandem two-seater configuration—a unique cockpit design that defines the 21C experience.
Stepping into the Cockpit: A Jet-Fighter Experience
The interior of the Czinger VMax is far from conventional. Czinger describes the cabin as a “jet fighter,” and after spending time inside, I can confirm it lives up to the hype. The visibility is phenomenal, with glass extending just inches from both sides of your head. While I haven’t had the chance to fly an Extra 330LT stunt plane, I’ve been in one, and the spatial feeling is remarkably similar.
However, the ease of entry is, shall we say, “non-traditional.” Sitting on the massive sill, you pull your knees up, spin on your butt, and tuck your feet into the footwell before sliding your head under the roof. It’s a spectacle for onlookers, but once you are in, you are in.
A significant portion of the sills is dedicated to housing the batteries that make the Czinger 21C VMax a hybrid hypercar. Each sill contains 2.2 kWh of battery power, totaling 4.4 kWh. The car isn’t a plug-in hybrid; the batteries are charged by the mid-mounted V-8 engine. This allows the front axle, equipped with a per-wheel motor, to deliver up to 500 horsepower.
The engine itself is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing 750 hp on standard 91-octane fuel. For those seeking maximum performance, filling up with 100-octane race fuel boosts the horsepower to 850 hp. Furthermore, the V-8 engine is designed to run on ethanol, potentially yielding even more power, though Czinger’s power figures are being kept under wraps for now.
Power is delivered to the rear wheels via an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. While similar to the Xtrac seven-speed used in the Pagani Utopia, the Czinger takes it to the next level by 3D-printing the transmission case and incorporating 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds. This innovation eliminates the “drunken lurch” common in automated single-clutch gearboxes, providing a smooth, almost normal experience even at low speeds.
Track Time: Where the Czinger 21C Shines
Czinger is known for sticking pro drivers in their cars to ensure safety during testing, and the 21C VMax was no exception. Evan Jacobs rode with me for the first day of the rally to ensure I didn’t turn this $2.5 million hypercar into a pile of carbon fiber. Thankfully, by the end of the day, Jacobs assured the team I was no threat, and I was allowed to drive solo.
We stopped at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but as is common with high-end hypercars, non-Czinger employees are restricted from driving the VMax on the track, even at the slow speeds dictated by the rally.
You can go for the ride even if you can’t drive, and I had the privilege of riding shotgun with Jacobs. The rear seat is the most bizarre position I’ve ever experienced in a car. If you have large calves or feet, be prepared for an uncomfortable experience. My calves were literally wedged between the carbon fiber tub and the seat, and my feet didn’t fit well either. However, the visibility through the side glass is incredible. It truly felt like being in a stunt plane, offering a novel perspective on track driving.
Jacobs took the VMax out for a couple of “6/10ths” laps, and the performance was astonishing. I’ve ridden in some of the most extreme supercars ever built, including an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I felt the blood rush to my extremities under hard braking. The Czinger VMax now holds the second spot in my memory, even though Jacobs wasn’t driving at full throttle and the long-tail design lacks the downforce of the 21C.
It was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C managed to set five production car track records in five days, covering the distance between tracks without trailers. They later returned to Laguna Seca to reclaim the throne from a Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear, setting a ridiculous 1 minute 22.30 second lap time. This is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna (1:22.56).
Czinger claims a vehicle weight of 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To put this in perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano, a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV making 986 hp, weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (with less power but still comparable in spirit), weighs 4,185 pounds.
Considering the Ferrari SF90 and Lamborghini Temerario are the two quickest-accelerating gasoline-powered cars MotorTrend has ever tested, Czinger’s ability to beat these Italian legends with a brand-new platform is remarkable. And it’s even more impressive considering that Southern California isn’t exactly Modena, the heartland of supercar manufacturing.
On the Road: Living with the Czinger 21C
The Velocity Tour route consisted primarily of tight, winding, back roads with less-than-perfect asphalt—the exact opposite