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Czinger 21C VMax: The Future, Delivered to Southern California For over a decade, the automotive world has been buzzing about Czinger, the avant-garde car manufacturer based in Southern California. This company, the brainchild of father-son duo Kevin and Lukas Czinger, has consistently been on the radar for its groundbreaking use of AI, additive manufacturing, and revolutionary hypercar concepts. Finally, after years of anticipation, I had the extraordinary opportunity to drive the Czinger 21C VMax during a three-day road rally across California wine country. The goal of this trip wasn’t just to see if a 3D-printed, 1,250-horsepower hybrid monster could handle a road trip; it was to experience what it’s like to live with a car that pushes the boundaries of engineering, design, and performance. And believe me, it’s an experience unlike any other. Factory Fresh: Behind the Scenes at Divergent Technologies The journey began at Czinger’s parent company, Divergent Technologies. Entering the facility felt like stepping into a sci-fi movie. I needed a U.S. passport—something I’d never encountered at a car factory before—because Divergent is a major defense contractor. While the military hardware was largely off-limits, the company’s work in the defense sector highlights just how far ahead of the curve their additive manufacturing technology truly is. Lukas Czinger gave me a tour of one of the massive 3D printers, and it was awe-inspiring. Using lasers to fuse powdered aluminum, the printers churn out automotive components that look like delicate bird bones. This process is what makes the Czinger so lightweight, yet incredibly strong. Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology has reached what engineers call “Pareto optimality,” a state where any gram added or subtracted would negatively impact performance. They use AI to iterate hundreds of thousands of designs, creating the strongest and lightest shape possible. It’s no wonder other automakers are taking notice. Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) all use Divergent’s 3D-printed parts. Even the Ferrari F80 is suspected to use their control arms. This isn’t just a concept car; it’s a production-grade vehicle with technology that’s redefining what’s possible in automotive engineering. Under the Carbon Fiber: The 21C VMax Hybrid System Czinger produces two distinct versions of the 21C. The standard 21C is the high-downforce, track-focused monster, while the VMax is the sleek, wingless, grand touring version. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, I found myself behind the wheel of a silver VMax. The interior is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a tandem two-seater, with the driver positioned in the center, which Czinger compares to a fighter jet. The visibility through the side glass is incredible, with windows less than a foot away from your head. Getting in and out is a bit of a contortionist act: you sit with your legs facing out on the wide sill, pull your knees up and rotate, tuck your feet into the footwell, and slide your head under the roof. It’s ridiculous, but undeniably cool. One reason for the wide sills is the massive battery pack. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar with two 2.2-kWh batteries (4.4 kWh total). The car isn’t plug-in, so the mid-mounted V8 engine keeps the batteries charged. These batteries deliver 500 hp to the front wheels, each powered by a separate motor. The engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that puts out 750 hp on 91-octane fuel. If you switch to 100-octane race fuel, the power increases to 850 hp. There are also ethanol options that produce even more power, but the company hasn’t released those numbers yet. The gas engine sends power to the rear wheels via an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. While similar to the Xtrac seven-speed in the Pagani Utopia, Czinger 3D prints the transmission case and uses small 48-volt motors to smooth out low-speed shifts. This eliminates the “drunken surge” often associated with automated single-clutch gearboxes. Thankfully, the twin-barrel actuators work as advertised, making the car feel almost normal when pulling into gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots. Track Time: Pushing the Limits As is common with high-dollar hypercars like Bugatti and Pagani, Czinger had a pro driver (Evan Jacobs) in the car to ensure I didn’t crash the $2.5 million vehicle. Later that night, Jacobs assured the team I was a safe driver, and I was allowed to drive solo for the rest of the rally. We stopped at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but non-Czinger employees aren’t allowed to drive the VMax on the track, even at the slow pace of the rally participants. I managed to get a ride in the rear seat, and while my XXL calves were literally wedged between the seat and the carbon-fiber tub, the visibility was incredible. It felt like being in a stunt plane, a novelty I’ve only experienced once before—and I’ve done over 1,000 track days. Jacobs convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff to let him take the VMax for a few “6/10ths” hot laps. The most impressive hot lap I’ve ever experienced was riding shotgun in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities under braking. The Czinger VMax is now second on my list. Remember, Jacobs didn’t even go full throttle, and even at less than the limit, it was easy to understand how a standard 21C set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and The Thermal Club—in five days. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to beat its own record and reclaim the throne from the Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The lap time—a ridiculous 1 minute, 22.30 seconds—is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded there (1:22.56). Czinger claims the car weighs around 3,600 pounds, which is astonishing for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To put that in perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor, twin-turbo V8 PHEV with 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V8 with less power, weighs 4,185 pounds. The SF90 and Temerario are the two quickest gasoline-powered 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, they have managed to beat two Italian legends with their first car. This is remarkable, especially considering that Southern California isn’t exactly known for its supercar-building expertise; L.A. is no Modena. On the Road: A Typical Hypercar Experience (Mostly) The route chosen for the rally was mostly true back roads—tight, winding, and often in poor condition. This isn’t the asphalt hypercar dream trips are made of. Plus, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and being the camera car. While I was a bit disappointed at the time, in retrospect, what I experienced is what most owners will experience living with a Czinger. To my surprise, the VMax was mostly like any other hyper-exotic. Take everything out of your pockets—the seats are tight, there are no cupholders, and you have to numb yourself to the fact that almost everyone else on the road will be staring at you, following you, waving at you, and revving at you. Despite this, the Czinger rides much better than I expected; the team deserves applause for not making it overly stiff. The air conditioning works well, too. My only real complaint about the “normal stuff” aspect of the VMax is the noise inside the cabin. It’s not the sound of the unique V8; it’s the complete lack of sound deadening. That’s fine for a track car, but it’s annoying on a road car. It becomes particularly noticeable when you’re in the car for hours. Yes, weight is the enemy of performance, but how much does sound-deadening foam weigh? Twenty pounds? Twenty-five? Google AI says between 10 and 50 pounds. Ten pounds of the stuff would make a big difference. Get to the Good Part: Unleashing the VMax We finally reached some proper California canyon roads, and I got to open up the Czinger 21C VMax. But just as quickly as my right foot hit the throttle, it was already on the brake pedal. I’ve driven EVs with this much power, but there’s so much more weight in them. I’ve driven the Ferrari F80, which has similar power and less electric help, and the Czinger is just a different beast. For the first time in my career, I