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The Czinger 21C VMax: A Testament to Human Ingenuity and Automotive Madness For years, the automotive world has been eagerly anticipating a closer look at Czinger’s radical vision for the future. This Southern California startup, founded by Kevin and Lukas Czinger, has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with additive manufacturing and hypercar design. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to spend three days with the Czinger 21C VMax, and the experience left me utterly speechless. While a track review would certainly capture the car’s brutal performance capabilities, I wanted to explore the more intimate side of this 7-figure machine: What is it like to actually drive a center-steer, tandem two-seater on a 500-mile road rally? Factory Fresh: A Glimpse into the Future My introduction to Czinger was a step above the usual press event. I had to show my U.S. passport to enter the factory, a testament to the exclusive and secretive nature of Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger. Divergent utilizes cutting-edge artificial intelligence and massive 3D printers to engineer and produce incredibly light and strong mechanical components. The reason for the strict identification requirement? Divergent supplies parts to the Department of Defense (DOD), or at least its suppliers. While I wasn’t allowed to see any military hardware, I did catch a glimpse of one of the colossal printers in action, an experience that felt less like a factory visit and more like stepping into the future. Lasers zapped powdered aluminum into intricate automotive parts that resembled a bird’s skeleton—a mesmerizing display of engineering prowess. Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both Divergent and Czinger, explained the philosophy behind their approach. The company targets the “Pareto optimal,” the point where adding or removing a single gram becomes detrimental. Take, for example, a remote reservoir for a rear suspension damper. Engineers must meet specific strength and space requirements. Using their software, the system iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs until it finds the strongest and lightest configuration. It’s like watching evolution at hyperspeed. Aside from the DOD, nine automotive OEMs reportedly use Divergent’s 3D-printed parts. Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren have publicly acknowledged this partnership, while some speculate that Ferrari’s F80 might also be utilizing their technology. Under the Carbon Fiber Czinger offers two distinct versions of the 21C, which are fundamentally the same car: the 21C (named after the 21st century) and the wingless, long-tailed 21C VMax. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through Central and Northern California’s wine country, I was handed the keys to a silver VMax. The term “piloting” is deliberately used because the cabin feels more like a fighter jet canopy than a traditional car interior. Czinger compares it to being in a jet fighter, and I can attest to the similarity. I’ve been in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the resemblance is uncanny. Both sides of your head are surrounded by glass just inches away, offering incredible visibility. The process of getting in and out of the car is arguably the most challenging part. You have to sit with your legs facing outward on the massive sill, pull your knees up and spin on your butt as you tuck your feet into the footwell, and then slide your head under the roof. The Heartbeat of the VMax: A Hybrid Symphony One of the reasons for the enormous side sills is the accommodation of batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, with each sill housing 2.2 kWh of battery power, totaling 4.4 kWh. The car isn’t a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine charges the pack. These batteries can deliver a staggering 500 horsepower to the front axle, which features one motor per wheel. The combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 capable of producing 750 hp on California’s 91-octane premium unleaded. Dumping 100-octane race fuel into the tank boosts horsepower to 850. The engine can also run on ethanol, generating even more power, though Czinger hasn’t released these figures (we predict a 10% increase). The gasoline engine powers the rear wheels via an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the seven-speed Xtrac gearbox used in Pagani’s Utopia, but Czinger not only 3D-prints the transmission case but also employs small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts more quickly at lower speeds. This effectively eliminates the jarring, surging sensation that plagues other automated single-clutch gearboxes. The twin-barrel actuators worked flawlessly during low-speed situations, and I was incredibly thankful for that. Pulling into gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots felt almost normal. Bravo to the Czinger team for this innovation. Track Time: Adrenaline and Innovation The part that never felt normal was having a professional driver, Evan Jacobs, sitting behind me for an entire day. As is common with high-end hypercars like those from Bugatti and Pagani, Czinger assigns a pro driver to ensure you don’t accidentally drive the $2.5 million machine off a cliff. Thankfully, later that night, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I was not a threat to the car and was permitted to drive solo for the remainder of the rally. We stopped at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but for whatever reason, non-Czinger employees aren’t allowed to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the relatively slow pace of the rally participants. As I’ve learned the hard way, even if you can’t drive, it’s always worthwhile to take the ride. I scrambled into the bizarre rear seat, and the first thing I noticed was the lack of space for larger legs. My XXL calves were literally wedged between the carbon-fiber tub and the carbon-fiber seat, and my feet barely fit. However, the visibility through the side glass was incredible. Once again, it reminded me of a stunt plane and was a refreshingly novel way to experience track driving—something I’ve done over a thousand times. This was especially evident when Jacobs and I 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 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 during braking. The Czinger VMax is now second on my list, and remember, Jacobs didn’t go full tilt. Even at less than the limit and without the massive downforce from the rear wing, it was easy to understand how a Czinger 21C achieved what the brand calls the California Gold Rush. This involved setting five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in just five days and driving between each track. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the throne from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. That lap time, a staggering 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 remarkably light for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To give you some perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV that makes only 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario is another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (producing less power, but still in the ballpark) that surpasses the two-ton mark, coming in at 4,185 pounds. Now’s a good time to mention that the SF90 and Temerario are the two quickest-accelerating 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, the unorthodox Southern California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends at the first hurdle. That’s impressive in itself, but even more so when you consider that while Southern California is known for many things, there isn’t a deep pool of supercar manufacturing expertise to draw from. In other words, Los Angeles isn’t exactly Modena. On the Road: The Daily Grind The route chosen for the rally consisted mostly of true back roads. Tight, winding, and rough asphalt—not exactly the kind of terrain you dream of for a hypercar road trip. Plus, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and constantly keeping the camera car in sight. I was maybe a bit disappointed at the time, but in retrospect, what I experienced is akin to what most owners will likely experience while living with a Czinger. To my surprise, the VMax felt mostly like driving any other hyper-exotic. Take everything out of your pockets because the seats are tight, drink your water before you get in as there are no cupholders, and brace yourself