Update GH Friday, 5/1/2026 Episode (May 1, 2026) | General Hospital Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: A $2.5 Million Hypercar From Silicon Valley That Defies Everything We Thought We Knew The automotive world has always been about pushing boundaries, but the Czinger 21C VMax doesn’t just push boundaries; it obliterates them. Imagine a hypercar born in the heart of Southern California, a center-steer, tandem two-seater that feels less like a car and more like a fighter jet merged with an alien spacecraft. This is the future of performance, and it’s absolutely bonkers. We spent three days on a road rally through Northern California to understand what Czinger’s ultimate creation is like, not on the track (though we did that too), but on public roads. What we found was a car so extreme, so technologically advanced, that it made us question the very definition of automotive capability. It’s a 3D-printed, seven-figure, 1,250-horsepower machine that represents both utopia and utter insanity on wheels. Factory Fresh: A Glimpse into the Future of Manufacturing My journey began at Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger. To enter their facility, I had to show my U.S. passport, which is odd for a car company. The reason is simple: Divergent builds incredible lightweight and strong components using iterative artificial intelligence and 3D printing for the Department of Defense. One glimpse inside one of their massive printers felt like stepping into 2050. Dozens of lasers zapped powdered aluminum into car parts that looked like bird bones, but performed like steel. Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both companies, explained that Divergent’s technology reaches the “Pareto optimal,” the point where adding or removing a single gram becomes detrimental. For example, an engineer might need a suspension reservoir mount that fits a specific space and withstands immense force. The software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs in minutes, finding the strongest, lightest shape possible. It’s evolutionary biology on fast-forward. Besides the military work, nine automotive OEMs use Divergent’s additive manufacturing. Aston Martin (DBR22), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) are the only ones who admit it, but the control arms on the Ferrari F80 look suspiciously like Divergent creations. This isn’t just about cool tech; it’s about fundamentally changing how cars are built. Under the Carbon Fiber: The Anatomy of a 1,250-HP Hybrid Monster Czinger builds two versions of the same basic car: the Czinger 21C, a high-downforce track weapon, and the Czinger 21C VMax, a wingless, long-tailed version designed for high-speed road driving. I was handed the keys to a silver VMax for the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through the wine country of Northern California. The word “piloting” is used deliberately. The cabin feels less like a cockpit and more like a jet fighter canopy. While I’ve never been in a jet, I have ridden shotgun in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the similarity is striking. There’s glass less than a foot from each side of your head, offering incredible visibility. The ingress and egress are ridiculous, but the reason for the huge side sills is fascinating: batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar. Each sill holds 2.2 kWh of battery power, for a total of 4.4 kWh. This isn’t a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V8 keeps the pack charged. These batteries deliver 500 horsepower to the front wheels via two electric motors, one per wheel. The combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 that makes 750 hp on 91-octane premium fuel. If you dump 100-octane race fuel into the tank, the power jumps to 850 hp. Czinger also says the engine can run on ethanol, potentially pushing the numbers even higher, though they haven’t released those figures yet (we’re guessing a 10% increase). The gasoline engine powers the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed Pagani uses in the Utopia, but Czinger goes a step further. They not only 3D-print the transmission case but also use small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at low speeds. This eliminates the awkward surging common in other automated single-clutch transmissions. The twin-barrel actuators work perfectly, making low-speed maneuvers like pulling into gas stations or restaurants feel almost normal. Bravo, Czinger. Track Time: Extreme Performance Meets Extreme Demands For the first day, I wasn’t allowed to drive. Czinger, like Pagani and Bugatti, stuck a pro driver (Evan Jacobs) in the passenger seat to ensure I didn’t destroy the $2.5 million machine. Thankfully, Jacobs later confirmed I was no threat, and I was allowed to drive solo for the rest of the rally. We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but non-Czinger employees aren’t allowed to drive the VMax on track, even at the snail’s pace of the rally. I hopped into the bizarre rear seat. The first thing to know is that if you have big calves or feet, it’s not comfortable. My XXL calves were squeezed 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 reminds me of a stunt plane and offers a unique perspective on track driving, something I’ve experienced over a thousand times. Jacobs and I convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff to let him take the VMax for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps. The most intense lap I’ve ever experienced was riding shotgun in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could feel the blood draining from my extremities during braking. The Czinger VMax is now number two on that list, and Jacobs wasn’t even pushing it. Even without the big-downforce rear wing, it was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in five days, driving from each track to the next. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to reclaim the throne from a Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear with a 1 minute, 22.30 second lap. This lap is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna (1:22.56). Czinger claims a vehicle weight of around 3,600 pounds, which is impressively light for a 1,250 hp hybrid. For context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 PHEV with 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (with less power than the Czinger) tips the scales at a chunky 4,185 pounds. Now’s a good time to mention that the SF90 and Temerario are the two quickest-accelerating gasoline cars MotorTrend has ever tested (the Ferrari for 0–60 mph and the Lambo for the quarter mile). If Czinger’s weight claim holds true, this unorthodox California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends with job one. That’s remarkable, especially considering that L.A. is hardly Modena when it comes to supercar manufacturing expertise. On the Road: The Hypercar Experience for the Everyday Billionaire The route for the rally mostly consisted of true back roads. Tight, winding, lousy asphalt—not exactly the kind of pavement hypercar dream trips are made of. Plus, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to stops, and hanging with the camera car. I was a bit disappointed at the time, but in retrospect, this is what most owners will experience while driving the Czinger VMax. To my surprise, the VMax was mostly like driving any other hyper-exotic. Take everything out of your pockets because the seats are tight, drink your water before you get in as there are no cupholders, and numb yourself to the fact that almost everyone on the road, especially males between the ages of 16 and 24, will be staring, following, waving, and revving at you, likely screaming friendly obscenities. The Czinger VMax rides much better than I expected. The team deserves applause for not making it overly stiff. The air conditioning also works well. My only real complaint about the everyday driving experience is the cabin noise. I’m not talking about the unique V-8 sound; I’m talking about the complete lack of sound deadening. That might be fine for a track car like the 2