Czinger 21C VMax: A Rocket Ship on the Road
Years of anticipation finally culminated in a whirlwind three-day drive of the Czinger 21C VMax during the inaugural Velocity Tour, a road rally through the picturesque wine country of Central and Northern California. This wasn’t just another exotic car drive; it was a journey into the future of automotive engineering, a confrontation with automotive madness in its purest form.
As a MotorTrend writer, I had long heard whispers of the revolutionary technology powering Czinger vehicles. This was the opportunity to peel back the carbon fiber and see what a 1,250-horsepower, 3D-printed, seven-figure hypercar—built in the heart of Southern California—feels like when pushed to the absolute limit. While there is undoubtedly a track story waiting to be told, the true test was this: What is the center-steer, tandem two-seater experience like on a 500-mile road rally? The answer, in a word, is “glorious.”
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Czinger 21C VMax: A Rocket Ship on the Road
Years of anticipation finally culminated in a whirlwind three-day drive of the Czinger 21C VMax during the inaugural Velocity Tour, a road rally through the picturesque wine country of Central and Northern California. This wasn’t just another exotic car drive; it was a journey into the future of automotive engineering, a confrontation with automotive madness in its purest form.
As a MotorTrend writer, I had long heard whispers of the revolutionary technology powering Czinger vehicles. This was the opportunity to peel back the carbon fiber and see what a 1,250-horsepower, 3D-printed, seven-figure hypercar—built in the heart of Southern California—feels like when pushed to the absolute limit. While there is undoubtedly a track story waiting to be told, the true test was this: What is the center-steer, tandem two-seater experience like on a 500-mile road rally? The answer, in a word, is “glorious.”
Factory Fresh: Stepping into the Future of Manufacturing
My journey into the world of Czinger began with a requirement I hadn’t encountered before in the automotive industry: a U.S. passport. This is not because Czinger is an international manufacturer in the traditional sense, but rather because the parent company, Divergent Technologies, is a leader in additive manufacturing. Divergent supplies cutting-edge 3D-printed components to the Department of Defense, an elite clientele that necessitates rigorous security protocols.
I was granted a tour by Lukas Czinger, the ambitious young CEO of both companies. It was a truly awe-inspiring experience. Stepping inside one of the massive 3D printers felt like a glimpse into the future of how cars will be made. Over a dozen high-powered lasers danced in unison, fusing powdered aluminum into complex automotive components that resembled delicate bird bones rather than structural metal. It is simply wild to witness such intricate manufacturing on display.
Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology operates at the “Pareto optimal,” a point where any change, no matter how small, becomes detrimental. Imagine the engineering task of designing a part—say, the remote reservoir for a rear suspension damper—that must fit within a specific space and withstand extreme forces. Instead of traditional CAD modeling, their software generates hundreds of thousands of iterations, each one more lightweight and robust than the last, until it arrives at the absolute perfect form. It is, in effect, evolution on fast-forward. In addition to their defense work, nine automotive OEMs rely on Divergent’s 3D-printed parts. While Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) are the only firms that publicly acknowledge this collaboration, the control arms of the Ferrari F80 sure look like prime suspects.
Under the Carbon Fiber
Czinger produces two distinct variants of what is fundamentally the same groundbreaking vehicle. The 21C, named in honor of the 21st century, is the high-downforce, track-focused weapon. The 21C VMax, on the other hand, is the streamlined, wingless road-going version. For the debut Velocity Tour, a 500-mile rally winding through the wine regions of Northern California, I found myself behind the wheel of the silver VMax.
I deliberately chose the term “piloting” rather than “driving.” The cabin feels less like a traditional greenhouse and more like the cockpit of a jet fighter. While I’ve never flown a jet, I once experienced a ride in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and the similarities are striking. There is glass barely a foot away from either side of your head, offering unparalleled visibility. However, the ease of entry and exit is, shall we say, unconventional. You must first place your legs outside the massive sill, pull your knees up to your chin, pivot on your posterior, and finally tuck your feet into the footwell. It’s a dance that requires flexibility and coordination, but the reward is an immersive experience unlike any other car on the market.
One reason for the large sills is the incorporation of batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, with each sill housing 2.2 kWh of battery power, totaling 4.4 kWh. This is not a plug-in hybrid; a motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine constantly recharges the battery. These batteries can deliver a staggering 500 horsepower to the front axle, which is driven by a dedicated motor for each wheel. The combustion engine is a custom Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8, producing 750 horsepower on California’s standard 91-octane premium fuel. When fed 100-octane race fuel, the horsepower jumps to 850. The compact but powerful engine is also capable of running on ethanol, which promises even more power, though Czinger has not yet released those figures. (Industry insiders predict at least a 10% increase.)
The gasoline engine powers the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This transmission is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed used in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger takes it a step further. Not only is the transmission case 3D-printed using additive manufacturing, but the system also employs small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts with lightning speed at low RPMs. This revolutionary engineering eliminates the lurching, drunken feeling that plagues all other automated single-clutch gearboxes. The twin-barrel actuators perform flawlessly even in low-speed scenarios, a fact I was incredibly grateful to discover. Navigating parking lots, restaurants, and gas stations felt almost normal—a testament to Czinger’s innovation.
Track Time: A Masterclass in High-Speed Performance
The only aspect of the VMax experience that never felt normal was the individual riding directly behind me for the entire day. As is customary with top-tier hypercars like those from Bugatti and Pagani, Czinger assigned a professional driver (Evan Jacobs) to ensure I didn’t accidentally crash the $2.5 million machine. Thankfully, later that evening, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I was no danger to the car and could proceed solo for the remainder of the rally.
We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but for reasons unknown, non-Czinger employees are prohibited from driving the VMax on the track, even at the brutally slow pace restricted to rally participants.
As I have learned through hard-earned experience, even if you can’t drive, you can certainly ride. I scrambled into the unconventional rear seat, and the first thing to note is that if you have large calves or feet, the rear-seat experience is not ideal. My XXL calves were literally wedged between the carbon-fiber tub and the seat, and my feet struggled to fit comfortably. However, the visibility through the side glass is absolutely incredible. Again, it reminded me of a stunt plane and provided a unique perspective on track driving—something I have experienced over a thousand times.
This was especially evident when Jacobs and I 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 have ever experienced was riding shotgun in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where the braking forces were so extreme I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities. The Czinger VMax is now second on that list, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even pushing to the limit. Even at less than full throttle and without the aid of a massive rear wing, it was easy to understand how a Czinger 21C achieved what the brand calls the California Gold Rush. The car set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in just five days, driving between each track. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the crown from the track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The lap time, a mind-bending 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-horsepower hybrid hypercar. For context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV with 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (producing less power, but providing a useful comparison), tips the scales at over two tons, weighing a hefty 4,185 pounds.
Now is a good time to mention that 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 proves accurate, the unconventional California startup has managed to outperform two Italian legends right out of the gate. That achievement is remarkable in itself, especially considering that while Southern California is known for many things, there isn’t a deep pool of hypercar manufacturing expertise to draw from.