Rory Was Alive – During The Period Of Manipulation & Working At Wyndemere. GH Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: The Digital Hypercar’s Coming-of-Age on California Backroads For years, the automotive world has been abuzz with the name Czinger. This Southern California startup has been quietly redefining what’s possible in hypercar engineering, touting futuristic materials and AI-driven design. But talking about it is one thing; actually getting behind the wheel is another. The opportunity finally arose during a three-day road rally, a journey meant to explore the 21C VMax not just on the track, but on the very roads that define California driving culture. Beyond the sheer performance specs—the VMax’s mind-bending power, the alien-tech materials, and the seven-figure price tag—lies a compelling question: what is it like to live with a 1,250-horsepower, center-steer masterpiece when it’s not being pushed to its absolute limit? Factory Fresh: Stepping into the Future My first taste of the Czinger experience began not at a press launch, but at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles. It’s a visit that immediately distinguishes Czinger from any other automaker. To enter the Divergent Technologies campus, the parent company of Czinger, I had to present my U.S. passport. This isn’t because the company is some secret enclave, but because Divergent is a key supplier to the Department of Defense. While the military contracts were strictly off-limits during the visit, the impression was immediate: this isn’t just a car company; it’s a technology leader. I was guided through the facility by Lukas Czinger, the young CEO who co-founded the company with his father, Kevin Czinger. The tour was a jaw-dropping peek into the future of manufacturing. Walking through the cavernous production floor, I witnessed more than a dozen industrial-sized 3D printers firing lasers into powdered aluminum, constructing automotive components that looked like delicate bird skeletons. The sheer scale of the operation was surreal. Lukas explained that their technology reaches what he calls the “Pareto optimal”—the point where a single gram of weight added or removed becomes a detriment. He used the example of a rear suspension damper reservoir mount. There is a specific physical space it must occupy, and it must withstand forces far greater than the car’s weight. Using advanced software, the system iterates through hundreds of thousands of design possibilities, searching for the strongest, lightest configuration. It’s an almost biological process, like evolution accelerated onto fast-forward. Beyond the defense sector, Divergent’s 3D printing expertise is leveraged by nine other automotive OEMs. While only Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) publicly admit to using their parts, the Ferrari F80’s control arms certainly bear the look of something manufactured by Divergent. This underlying manufacturing capability is what sets Czinger apart; they are not just a car builder, but a high-tech engineering firm pushing the boundaries of materials science. Under the Carbon Fiber: The 21C VMax Experience Czinger produces two distinct versions of what is essentially the same underlying chassis. The first, the 21C, is a high-downforce, track-focused weapon. The second, the VMax, features a longer tail and no rear wing, making it the more street-friendly (if you can call a 1,250-horsepower hypercar that) option. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile rally through California’s wine country, I was entrusted with a silver VMax. The term “piloting” is used deliberately here because the cabin feels more like a jet cockpit than a traditional car interior. Czinger itself compares the experience to being in a fighter jet. While I haven’t flown a jet, I have ridden in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the similarity is striking. The canopy glass sits less than a foot from either side of your head, offering unparalleled visibility. However, the process of getting in and out of the car is, frankly, ridiculous. You have to sit with your legs facing out on the massive sill, pull your knees up, rotate your body, and tuck your feet into the footwell, all while maneuvering your head under the roofline. One reason the sills are so massive is because they are filled with batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, with each sill containing a 2.2-kWh battery pack for a total of 4.4 kWh. This isn’t a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V8 engine keeps the pack charged. These batteries are capable of sending 500 horsepower to the front axle, which features one motor per wheel. The combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 750 horsepower on standard 91-octane California premium. If you opt for 100-octane race fuel, the output jumps to 850 hp. Czinger also claims the engine can run on ethanol for even higher power figures, though those details remain undisclosed. 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 transmission used in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger enhances it further. They not only 3D-print the gearbox casing, but also use small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at low speeds. This eliminates the “drunken” or surging feeling that plague other automated single-clutch transmissions. The twin-barrel actuators work exactly as advertised, making low-speed maneuvers feel surprisingly refined. Navigating parking lots and pulling into gas stations felt almost normal—a remarkable achievement for a car with this much power and technology. Track Time: A Shotgun Ride in a Rocket What never felt normal, however, was the presence of a co-pilot. As is common practice with multi-million dollar hypercars (think Bugatti and Pagani), Czinger assigned professional driver Evan Jacobs to ensure I didn’t destroy the $2.5 million machine. Thankfully, he eventually deemed me safe enough to drive solo for the rest of the rally. We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but for reasons still unclear, non-Czinger employees are prohibited from driving the VMax on the track, even at the sluggish pace of the rally participants. As I’ve learned the hard way, even if you can’t drive, you should always take the ride. I scrambled into the bizarre rear seat, a position that puts you literally between the carbon-fiber tub and the seatback. If you have large calves or feet, the experience is cramped. My XXL calves were wedged tightly, and my feet barely fit in the footwell. However, the visibility through the side glass is spectacular. It truly felt like being in a fighter jet, a completely novel way to experience a track I’ve visited over 1,000 times. The highlight of the track experience was when Jacobs managed to convince 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 I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where the braking forces felt like they were pulling blood out of my extremities. The Czinger VMax is now second on that list, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even driving at full throttle. Even at that reduced pace, it was easy to understand how the 21C achieved the “California Gold Rush” records. For context, the 21C VMax has set five production car track records in five days—at Thunderhill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—driving from track to track in between. Czinger later returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat their own record but reclaim the title from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. That lap time, a blistering 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 astonishing for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid. For comparison, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance three-motor, twin-turbo V8 PHEV that only makes 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V8 (with less power, but providing a relevant comparison), pushes past the two-ton mark, tipping the scales at 4,185 pounds. Now 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 Lambo for the quarter mile). If Czinger’s weight claim holds true, this unconventional California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends right out of the gate. That’s remarkable in itself, but even more so considering that Los Angeles is known for many things, but there isn’t a deep-rooted automotive engineering heritage in supercar manufacturing. In other words, L.A. isn’t exactly Modena. On the Road: The California Canyon Challenge The route chosen for the rally consisted primarily of real back roads. The pavement was tight, winding, and often lousy—not