The Czinger 21C VMax: A Visionary Hypercar Meets Road-Trip Reality
The future of automotive engineering has arrived, not with a quiet revolution, but with a deafening, 1,250-horsepower roar. The Czinger 21C VMax isn’t just another hypercar; it’s a philosophical statement from a Southern California startup that blends cutting-edge 3D printing technology with mind-bending performance. As a veteran automotive reviewer with over a decade of experience behind the wheel of the world’s most extreme machines, I recently had the opportunity to drive the 21C VMax on a challenging three-day road rally. What I discovered was a vehicle that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, challenging traditional supercar expectations in ways that feel both exhilarating and, at times, almost alien.
For years, MotorTrend has been following Czinger’s ambitious journey. Back in 2022, we sat down with the company’s founders, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, on The InEVitable podcast. At the time, we were captivated by their vision of a new era of automotive manufacturing. This interview was a prelude to the experience I was about to have: an extended road rally through the heart of California’s wine country. The goal was simple yet profound: to take a 3D-printed, seven-figure hypercar and subject it to the crucible of a 500-mile road trip.
While the track potential of the Czinger 21C is undeniable—and certainly worthy of its own deep dive—I was more interested in the practicalities. What does a center-steer, tandem two-seater feel like when navigating the winding roads, tight city streets, and charming hamlets of Central and Northern California? The answer, as I soon discovered, is far more complex than simply “fast.”
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The Czinger 21C VMax: A Visionary Hypercar Meets Road-Trip Reality
The future of automotive engineering has arrived, not with a quiet revolution, but with a deafening, 1,250-horsepower roar. The Czinger 21C VMax isn’t just another hypercar; it’s a philosophical statement from a Southern California startup that blends cutting-edge 3D printing technology with mind-bending performance. As a veteran automotive reviewer with over a decade of experience behind the wheel of the world’s most extreme machines, I recently had the opportunity to drive the 21C VMax on a challenging three-day road rally. What I discovered was a vehicle that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, challenging traditional supercar expectations in ways that feel both exhilarating and, at times, almost alien.
For years, MotorTrend has been following Czinger’s ambitious journey. Back in 2022, we sat down with the company’s founders, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, on The InEVitable podcast. At the time, we were captivated by their vision of a new era of automotive manufacturing. This interview was a prelude to the experience I was about to have: an extended road rally through the heart of California’s wine country. The goal was simple yet profound: to take a 3D-printed, seven-figure hypercar and subject it to the crucible of a 500-mile road trip.
While the track potential of the Czinger 21C is undeniable—and certainly worthy of its own deep dive—I was more interested in the practicalities. What does a center-steer, tandem two-seater feel like when navigating the winding roads, tight city streets, and charming hamlets of Central and Northern California? The answer, as I soon discovered, is far more complex than simply “fast.”
The Future Arrives in a Factory
Before you can even sit inside a Czinger, you must first pass through a security checkpoint unlike any other in the automotive industry. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, operates with a level of discretion that reflects its dual role as a high-performance automaker and a critical supplier to the U.S. Department of Defense. I had to present my U.S. passport, a necessity due to Divergent’s military contracts.
Inside the factory, under the watchful eye of CEO Lukas Czinger, I witnessed a technological marvel. One peek inside a massive 3D printer revealed a glimpse into the future of manufacturing. Lasers danced across powdered aluminum, fusing particles into automotive components that resembled bird bones—incredibly light, impossibly strong, and breathtakingly organic in shape. It was a visceral reminder that the old rules of production are being rewritten in real-time.
Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology aims to reach “Pareto optimal,” a state where any further optimization becomes a liability. Imagine a scenario where an engineer needs a part to hold a rear suspension damper’s remote reservoir. The software evaluates hundreds of thousands of designs, each iterated to achieve the precise strength and stiffness required for the specific space available. The result is a shape that mirrors the efficiency of nature itself, an evolutionary process accelerated to warp speed.
Beyond the military applications, Divergent supplies 3D-printed components to nine automotive OEMs. While some, like Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1), publicly acknowledge this partnership, the Ferrari F80’s control arms certainly suggest a similar collaboration. This widespread adoption speaks volumes about the revolutionary nature of Divergent’s manufacturing process.
Under the Hood: A Technical Tour de Force
Czinger offers two distinct versions of its groundbreaking hypercar: the high-downforce, track-focused 21C and the wingless, long-tailed VMax. Both cars share the same platform and the same radical chassis but are tailored for different purposes. For the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile road rally through California’s wine country—I was handed the keys to a silver 21C VMax.
The term “piloting” is used deliberately here. The cabin of the 21C VMax feels less like a traditional car interior and more like a jet fighter canopy. Czinger claims it provides an experience comparable to sitting in a fighter jet, and having recently experienced an Extra 330LT stunt plane, I can attest to the similarity. Glass is positioned less than a foot from either side of your head, offering unparalleled visibility. However, getting in and out of the car is a deliberately theatrical affair: you sit with your legs resting on the massive sill, pull your knees up, spin your posterior as you tuck your feet into the footwell, and finally duck your head under the roof. It’s a physical challenge that immediately sets the 21C apart from conventional hypercars.
The reason for those oversized sills becomes clear when you look inside: they are packed with batteries. The 21C VMax is a plug-in hybrid, with 2.2 kWh of battery power packed into each sill for a total of 4.4 kWh. This isn’t just for range; it’s about power delivery. A motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the battery charged, allowing the car to deliver 500 horsepower to the front axle, which features one motor per wheel.
The heart of the beast is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine producing 750 horsepower on California’s standard 91-octane premium fuel. If you opt for 100-octane race fuel, the power jumps to 850 horsepower. While the engine can also run on ethanol, Czinger has not yet released those figures—though we predict at least a 10 percent increase.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed transmission found in Pagani’s Utopia, but Czinger takes it to another level. Not only is the transmission case 3D-printed, but the company also utilizes small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds. This eliminates the jarring surge that plagues traditional automated single-clutch transmissions, making low-speed maneuvers like navigating gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots feel remarkably smooth. It’s a technical triumph that deserves applause.
Track Performance: A New Benchmark
One might expect that such a technologically advanced vehicle would be relegated to the track. And while there is certainly a track story to tell, the 21C VMax is also designed to be driven on the road. However, at times, the line between the two blurred in unsettling ways.
One significant difference between the standard 21C and the VMax is the seating configuration. Unlike many hypercars that feature parallel seating, Czinger has opted for tandem seating, placing the passenger directly behind the driver. On our road rally, I had the unique privilege of sitting behind pro driver Evan Jacobs for an entire day. This is standard practice with high-end hypercars like Bugatti and Pagani, where having a professional in the passenger seat ensures the car stays on the road. Thankfully, later that night, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I was no threat to the vehicle, and I was cleared to drive solo for the remainder of the trip.
We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but unfortunately, non-Czinger employees are restricted from driving the VMax on tracks, even at the deliberately slow pace the rally participants were limited to. However, as I have learned the hard way over the years, sometimes the best experience is simply being a passenger. So I scrambled into the bizarre rear seat.
The first thing to note is that the rear seat is not designed for those with large calves or feet. My XXL calves were literally wedged between the carbon-fiber tub and the seat, and my feet barely fit in the footwell. However, the visibility from the rear is simply incredible. Again, it reminded me of that stunt plane experience and offered a truly novel way to see a racetrack—a place I’ve visited more than 1,000 times.
This was especially true when Jacobs convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff (whose track day we had essentially crashed) to let him take the VMax for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps. The most impressive ride I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities under heavy braking. The Czinger 21C VMax now holds second place on that list, and remember, Jacobs didn’t even push the car to its limit.
Even without the massive downforce of the rear wing, it was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C earned its reputation as the “California Gold Rush.” The company set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in just five days, driving from one track to the next without trailers. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the throne from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. That lap time of 1 minute, 22.30 seconds is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna, a 1:22.56.
Czinger claims a vehicle weight of approximately 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid. For comparison, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale