Sonny Becomes Co-director Of The Hospital As Part Of A Larger Plan. General Hospital Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: Engineering Extremes in America’s Hypercar Capital The automotive world is currently experiencing a fascinating duality. On one hand, the industry is relentlessly pushing toward efficiency, electric mobility, and responsible consumption. On the other, a small number of visionary disruptors are taking a dramatic leap into the extreme, creating machines that blur the line between technology and art. In Southern California, one company embodies this spirit of audacious innovation: Czinger. Their hypercar, the 21C VMax, represents the zenith of this movement—a vehicle that is as terrifyingly fast as it is technologically revolutionary. Having driven the 21C VMax on a rigorous road rally, I can attest that this is not just another supercar; it is a declaration of war against the status quo, engineered for the 21st century by a team that defies conventional automotive logic. The Genesis of an Icon: From Divergent to Hypercar Titan To understand the 21C VMax, one must first understand its parent company, Divergent Technologies. Based in Hawthorne, California, Divergent is far more than just a car manufacturer; it is a technology conglomerate applying additive manufacturing to solve complex engineering challenges. Divergent is known for pioneering “Pareto-optimal” designs, where advanced AI algorithms generate structural geometries that are mathematically impossible to achieve through traditional subtractive methods. The result is aerospace-grade strength at a fraction of the weight. My visit to the Divergent facility was a surreal experience. In an industry often dominated by established giants and decades of legacy, Divergent operates on a completely different plane. Walking into their production floor felt like entering a science fiction film. Massive industrial 3D printers were busily constructing components from aluminum powder, using powerful lasers to bind the material into intricate lattice structures. These parts, resembling organic bird bones rather than rigid metal, are significantly stronger and lighter than anything created using casting or forging. This revolutionary technology has caught the attention of heavyweights across multiple sectors. Divergent supplies the Department of Defense with 3D-printed parts, a testament to the extreme requirements it can fulfill. Furthermore, leading luxury automakers are leveraging Divergent’s expertise. Aston Martin, McLaren, and Bugatti are among the manufacturers publicly acknowledging their collaboration with Divergent, utilizing their advanced manufacturing processes for critical components. While not officially confirmed, even rumors link Divergent’s technology to the Ferrari F80 hypercar. At the heart of this technological empire is Lukas Czinger, the ambitious CEO of both Divergent and Czinger Vehicles. It was Lukas who gave me the tour of the factory, explaining how the AI-driven design process optimizes every component to its absolute physical limit. In this world, the goal is to remove every last gram of unnecessary material without compromising structural integrity. This philosophy is the driving force behind the 21C VMax, a machine engineered to achieve performance levels once thought impossible for a road-legal production car. The Alien Cockpit: Inside the 21C VMax Czinger builds two distinct versions of its hypercar: the track-focused 21C and the long-tailed, aerodynamic VMax. Technically, the VMax is known as the 21C VMax, though its most distinguishing feature—the absence of the massive rear wing found on the track model—is often used to differentiate it. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through Northern California’s wine country, I was granted the privilege of piloting a silver 21C VMax. Piloting is the correct word here. Stepping into the Czinger 21C VMax feels more like entering a fighter jet than a traditional sports car. Czinger himself describes the experience as being enclosed in a canopy, and this comparison holds true. Having recently experienced the dizzying sensation of riding in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, I can confirm a striking similarity. The cabin is exceptionally narrow, with glass enclosing you on all sides, providing an extraordinary sense of awareness. However, this exclusivity comes at a price: the egress is notoriously difficult. With the sills packed tightly with batteries, climbing in requires a specific sequence: sit on the enormous sill with your legs spread wide, pull your knees high and spin your body to tuck them into the footwell, then slide your head and shoulders under the roof canopy. The same process applies in reverse for exiting. This demanding entry procedure serves as a stark reminder that you are entering a machine designed for ultimate performance, not everyday convenience. The massive sills are not merely for structural support; they are integral to the car’s hybrid powertrain. The 21C VMax boasts a 4.4-kWh battery pack distributed between both side sills, with 2.2 kWh per side. The car is not a plug-in hybrid, as the batteries are charged by the mid-mounted V-8 engine. These batteries drive two independent motors on the front axle, delivering a staggering 500 horsepower. This front-axle power is paired with a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 that produces 750 horsepower when running on California’s 91-octane premium fuel. Using 100-octane race fuel elevates the V-8’s output to 850 horsepower, with ethanol options promising even greater gains. Power is routed to the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential transmission. This unit is similar to the seven-speed gearbox used in the Pagani Utopia. However, Czinger employs its additive manufacturing expertise to not only 3D-print the transmission casing but also incorporates 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds. This intelligent design effectively eliminates the characteristic lurch and surge that plague most automated single-clutch transmissions at low revs. When pulling into gas stations, restaurants, or hotel parking lots, the twin-barrel actuators perform flawlessly, making the driving experience surprisingly smooth for a car of this caliber. The Passenger and the Pace: Track Triumphs and Engineering Integrity For the initial leg of the rally, I was joined by professional driver Evan Jacobs. In line with the practices of other elite hypercar manufacturers like Bugatti and Pagani, Czinger places a co-driver in the car to ensure safety during media drives. Thankfully, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I posed no threat to their multimillion-dollar machine, and I was permitted to drive solo for the remainder of the journey. We made a stop at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but even at this sedate pace, non-Czinger employees are not permitted to drive the VMax on the track. Jacobs took the helm for a couple of “6/10ths” hot laps, offering me a taste of the car’s true potential from the rear seat. Riding shotgun in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH during a braking zone remains the most visceral experience of my career, but the Czinger VMax is now a very close second, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even driving at full tilt. Even without the large aerodynamic wing, it was easy to comprehend how the Czinger 21C achieved its remarkable claim to fame: the California Gold Rush. This daring feat saw the 21C set five production car track records at iconic Northern California circuits—Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and The Thermal Club—all within a span of five days. The car drove between tracks, demonstrating its incredible blend of speed and practicality. Czinger later returned to Laguna Seca, not only to break its own record but to reclaim the outright lap record from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut. That historic lap time of 1 minute, 22.30 seconds is faster than the quickest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna Seca (1:22.56). Czinger claims a vehicle weight of approximately 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a hybrid hypercar with 1,250 horsepower. To put this in perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano, the most potent version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 plug-in hybrid with 986 horsepower, weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor V-8 hybrid producing less power, tips the scales at a hefty 4,185 pounds. Given these figures, Czinger has managed to out-engineer two legendary Italian titans in terms of pure performance per pound. This is remarkable considering that Southern California is not exactly Modena, the historical hub of Italian automotive craftsmanship. The 21C VMax represents a seismic shift in supercar engineering, challenging the established order through relentless technological innovation. The Uncomfortable Reality: Life with a Hypercar The rally route was curated to test the car’s mettle on real-world roads, not perfectly paved circuits. We encountered tight, winding, and rough asphalt—the antithesis of a typical hypercar dream trip. Much of the journey involved driving in convoy, navigating to various stops, and keeping pace with camera cars. At the time, I was slightly disappointed not to be navigating deserted mountain passes. However, looking back, the experience provided the most authentic view of what living with a Czinger is actually like. Surprisingly, the VMax felt mostly like a conventional hyper-exotic. You must remove everything from your pockets as the seats are snug, drink your water before getting in as there are no cupholders, and brace yourself for the inevitable attention. Nearly everyone on the road, especially males between 16 and 24, will look, follow, wave, and rev their engines in friendly provocation.