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Czinger 21C VMax: An Extreme Driving Experience Czinger 21C VMax: An Extreme Driving Experience For years, the team at MotorTrend had been eager to get behind the wheel of a Czinger vehicle. Having interviewed the father-son founders, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, on The InEVitable podcast in October 2022, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to drive a Czinger 21C VMax on a three-day road rally. The goal was to experience the car in a different context than its usual track performance. While a track story is always exciting and worth sharing, the real question was: what is it like to pilot a seven-figure hypercar with a center-steer, tandem two-seater configuration on a 500-mile road trip? The Factory Fresh Experience Before entering the Czinger factory, I had to present my U.S. passport—a first for me. As you’ll see, Czinger is a unique company. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, uses artificial intelligence and advanced 3D printing to design and produce extremely lightweight and strong mechanical components. Divergent supplies parts to the Department of Defense, so government-issued identification is required for access. While all military hardware was covered during my visit, I did get a glimpse of something that resembled a rocket launcher. I was given a tour by Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both companies, and the experience was truly fascinating. Peeking inside one of the massive printers felt like a glimpse into the future, as more than a dozen lasers fused aluminum powder into automotive parts that looked like avian bones. Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology reaches the “Pareto optimal” stage, where any addition or subtraction of a single gram results in a negative outcome. For example, imagine a requirement for a rear suspension damper remote reservoir bracket. Using a specified space constraint and force resistance target, the software generates hundreds of thousands of designs to find the optimal shape. This process is like evolutionary biology on fast-forward. In addition to the DOD, nine automotive OEMs use Divergent for 3D-printed parts. Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) are the only ones that publicly admit to it, but the Ferrari F80’s control arms definitely look like suspects. Under the Carbon Fiber Czinger produces two versions of what is essentially the same car: the high-downforce, track-focused 21C (named after the 21st century) and the wingless, long-tailed VMax. Technically, the latter is the 21C VMax, but the 21C branding doesn’t appear on the car. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through Northern and Central California wine country, I piloted a silver VMax. I chose the word “piloting” intentionally, as the cabin feels more like a canopy than a traditional car interior. In fact, Czinger describes it as a jet fighter experience. While I haven’t flown a jet, I have been a passenger in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the resemblance is striking. Essentially, glass is less than a foot away from both sides of your head, providing excellent visibility. However, the process of getting in and out of the car is unconventional: Sit with your legs extended outside the massive sill, pull your knees up and spin on your butt, and then tuck your feet into the footwell while sliding your head under the roof. One reason for the large sills is the battery storage within them. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, with each sill containing 2.2 kWh of battery power for a total of 4.4 kWh. The car is not a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the battery charged. These batteries can deliver 500 horsepower to the front axle, with one motor per wheel. The engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing 750 horsepower on California’s 91-octane premium fuel. Using 100-octane race fuel increases the horsepower to 850. The compact yet powerful engine can also run on ethanol, potentially generating even more power, although Czinger has not released those figures. We estimate a 10 percent increase. The gas engine powers the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed transmission used in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger not only 3D prints the gearbox casing but also uses small 48-volt electric motors to facilitate faster shifts at lower speeds. This eliminates the surging behavior common in other automated single-clutch gearboxes at low speeds. The twin-barrel actuators work effectively in low-speed situations, a welcome relief. Navigating parking lots at gas stations, restaurants, and hotels felt almost normal. Truly commendable. Track Time One aspect that never felt normal was the presence of a driver behind me for the entire day. As is common with high-end hypercars like those from Bugatti and Pagani, Czinger assigned a professional driver, Evan Jacobs, to ensure I didn’t crash the $2.5 million car. Fortunately, later that night, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I wasn’t a threat and that I could drive solo for the remainder of the rally. We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but non-Czinger employees are not permitted to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the extremely slow pace allowed for rally participants. As I have learned the hard way, even if you can’t drive, you should still enjoy the ride. I squeezed into the bizarre rear seat. The first thing to note is that if you have large calves or feet, the experience in the back seat is not pleasant. My large calves were wedged between the carbon-fiber tub and the seat, and my feet fit poorly as well. However, the visibility through the side windows is incredible. It reminded me of a stunt plane and was a novel way to experience riding around a track—something I’ve done over a thousand times. This was especially true when Jacobs convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff (whose track day we were crashing) to let him take the VMax for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps. The most impressive hot lap I’ve ever experienced was riding shotgun in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, during which I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities under braking. The Czinger VMax is now second on that list. And remember, Jacobs didn’t push the car to its limits. Even at less than the limit and without the high-downforce rear wing, it was easy to understand how a Czinger 21C achieved what the brand calls the California Gold Rush. This feat involved setting 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 not only break its own record but to reclaim the title from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The lap time—an incredible 1 minute, 22.30 seconds—is quicker than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna, which stands at 1:22.56. Czinger claims a vehicle weight of approximately 3,600 pounds, which is quite light for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid hypercar. For context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV with 986 horsepower—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario is another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (again with less power, but for comparison) that exceeds the two-ton mark at 4,185 pounds. This is a good time to mention that the SF90 and Temerario are the two fastest gasoline-powered cars MotorTrend has ever tested (the Ferrari for 0–60 mph and the Lamborghini for the quarter mile). If Czinger’s weight claim holds true, the unconventional Southern California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends with its first production car. This is remarkable in itself, especially considering that Los Angeles is not known for its supercar manufacturing industry. In other words, L.A. is not exactly Modena. On the Road The chosen route for the rally was mostly composed of true back roads. Tight, winding, and rough asphalt—not the kind of roads ideal for hypercar trips. Additionally, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and keeping up with the camera car. At the time, I was perhaps a bit disappointed, but in retrospect, the experience offered insight into what most owners will likely experience while living with a Czinger. To my surprise, the VMax was mostly like any other exotic hypercar. Empty your pockets before getting in, as the seats are tight. Drink your water before departure, as there are no cupholders. And prepare for constant attention: almost everyone on the road, especially males aged 16 to 24, will be staring, following, waving, and revving their engines, all while likely shouting friendly obscenities. Regardless, the Czinger rides much better than I expected; the team deserves applause for not making it overly stiff. Even the air conditioning