The Bold and The Beautiful Spoilers Week 6-29-26 June 29 – July 3, 2026 B&B Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: The Insane Hypercar That Defines the Future For years, the automotive press has been buzzing about Czinger. While we’ve had the chance to chat with the father-son duo, Kevin and Lukas Czinger, on our podcast, the chance to actually get behind the wheel of one of their creations remained elusive. Until now. I recently had the privilege of participating in a three-day road rally in Central and Northern California, piloting a 21C VMax. The goal was clear: see what this seven-figure, 1,250-horsepower, 3D-printed marvel from Southern California is like in the real world. Yes, there’s a track story to tell—and it’s a good one—but what truly captivated me was the everyday experience of a center-steer, tandem two-seater navigating 500 miles of public roads. Factory Fresh: A Glimpse into the Future My journey began at Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger. As I soon discovered, visiting this facility is unlike any other automotive factory visit I’ve ever experienced. It’s not just the sleek, avant-garde architecture of the building; it’s the technology that powers it. I needed to show my U.S. passport to enter the facility, which, I learned, is because Divergent supplies components to the Department of Defense (or at least, suppliers to the DOD). While I wasn’t allowed to see the actual military hardware—though one piece did vaguely resemble a rocket—I was given an exclusive tour by Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both companies. The tour was nothing short of breathtaking. Walking into one of their massive 3D printers felt like stepping into the future. More than a dozen lasers were simultaneously melting powdered aluminum, fusing it into automotive components that looked like delicate bird bones. It’s a truly wild sight, a perfect testament to the innovative spirit driving Czinger. Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology pushes the boundaries of design to its “Pareto optimal” point—the moment when adding or subtracting even a single gram results in a performance loss. Take, for example, a simple component like a rear suspension reservoir bracket. The engineering team defines the available space and the force tolerances the part must withstand. Then, using advanced software, they generate hundreds of thousands of possible designs until the algorithm identifies the strongest and lightest shape. It’s essentially evolutionary biology accelerated a thousandfold. Beyond their military contracts, nine automotive OEMs utilize Divergent’s 3D-printing technology. While Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) publicly admit to using their services, many suspect that parts on the Ferrari F80 are also digitally manufactured. Under the Carbon Fiber Skin Czinger produces two versions of what is essentially the same car. The Czinger 21C is the high-downforce, track-focused variant, named after the 21st century. The 21C VMax, on the other hand, is the wingless, long-tailed version designed for street performance. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through California’s wine country, I had the pleasure of piloting a silver VMax. I use the word “piloting” intentionally, as the cabin feels more like a jet fighter’s cockpit than a traditional car’s interior. Czinger claims it mimics the experience of being in a fighter jet, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to sit in a jet, I have experienced an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the similarity is striking. The glass surrounds your head, providing an unparalleled view of the world. The visibility is, of course, extraordinary. Getting in and out, however, is an adventure in itself. You sit on the massive sill, tuck your legs outward, pull your knees toward your chest, and then twist your body as you slide your head under the roof. It’s comical at first, but quickly becomes second nature for this unique hybrid hypercar. One reason for the massive sills is the integration of the batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid, with 2.2 kWh of battery power housed in each sill, totaling 4.4 kWh. It’s not a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine charges the battery pack. These batteries can deliver 500 horsepower to the front wheels, each of which has its own dedicated motor. The combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing 750 hp on California’s standard 91-octane premium gasoline. Switch to 100-octane race fuel, and the horsepower jumps to 850. The engine can also run on ethanol, potentially increasing power further, though Czinger hasn’t released those specific figures—but we predict a solid 10% bump. The gas engine sends power to the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed unit found in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger takes it a step further. Not only is the transmission case 3D-printed, but they also utilize small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds with greater precision. This eliminates the jerky, surging feeling that plagues most automated single-clutch gearboxes at low RPMs. The twin-barrel actuators work precisely as advertised, smoothing out low-speed maneuvers. Navigating into gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots felt almost normal. Seriously, bravo to Czinger for cracking this code. Track Time: Pushing the Envelope While the street experience was fascinating, the real excitement kicked in at the track. For the first day of the rally, I had a co-driver, professional racer Evan Jacobs, perched behind me. As is common practice with high-dollar hypercars (Bugatti and Pagani), Czinger places a co-driver in the car to ensure the $2.5 million machine doesn’t end up in the barrier. Thankfully, later that evening, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I posed no threat to the car, and I was cleared to drive solo for the remainder of the rally. We made a stop at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but non-Czinger employees aren’t permitted to drive the VMax on the track, even at the slow pace allowed during the rally. As I’ve learned the hard way, if you can’t drive, go for the ride. I squeezed into the unique rear seat, a peculiar experience with the carbon-fiber tub pressing against my XXL calves and my feet feeling a bit cramped. However, the side visibility was incredible. Reminiscent of the stunt plane, it was a novel way to experience a racetrack—something I’ve done more than 1,000 times. This was especially true when Jacobs convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff (whose track day we crashed) to let him take the VMax for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps. The most impressive ride-along I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could literally feel the blood pooling in my extremities under braking. The Czinger VMax has now taken the second spot on that list, and remember, Jacobs was only pushing at about 60%. Even at less than race pace and without the massive rear wing, it was easy to understand how a Czinger 21C set five production car track records in five days—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and The Thermal Club—while driving between each venue. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the title from the track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The resulting lap time, a ridiculous 1:22.30, is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna, a 1:22.56. It’s an almost unbelievable achievement for a car not purpose-built for track domination, but the VMax proved it belongs on the podium. Czinger claims a vehicle weight of around 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid. To put that into perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano, the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV (making less power, around 986 hp), weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (also producing less power), pushes past the two-ton mark, tipping 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 production 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 unconventional Southern California startup has managed to outperform two Italian legends with its very first production car. That’s remarkable on its own, but especially noteworthy considering that while L.A. is known for many things, it’s not exactly Modena—the traditional birthplace of supercar manufacturing. On the Road: Everyday Insanity The route chosen for the rally consisted mostly of back roads. Tight, winding, and often rough asphalt—not exactly the kind of pavement hypercar