Czinger 21C VMax: A Week Behind the Wheel of the Ultimate Hybrid Hypercar
The automotive world is no stranger to the extraordinary. From hypercars that blur the line between road car and fighter jet to technological marvels that push the limits of what we thought possible, the quest for automotive perfection is never-ending. But every so often, a car arrives that doesn’t just push the envelope; it tears it to shreds. Enter the Czinger 21C VMax—a car that represents the pinnacle of modern engineering, a radical departure from the norm, and frankly, utter automotive madness in the best possible way.
We recently spent a week living with this hypercar, an experience that began with a deep-dive into the factory that builds it and ended with a realization that the Czinger 21C VMax is in a league of its own. While the company has a strong reputation for setting track records (more on that later), we wanted to know what this 1,250-horsepower, 3D-printed titan is like in the real world. Spoiler alert: it’s not a car you just “drive”—it’s a machine you experience.
The Factory of the Future: Divergent Technologies
FULL – The Bold and the Beautiful 6/25/2026 | B&B Spoilers Thursday, June 25
Czinger 21C VMax: A Week Behind the Wheel of the Ultimate Hybrid Hypercar
The automotive world is no stranger to the extraordinary. From hypercars that blur the line between road car and fighter jet to technological marvels that push the limits of what we thought possible, the quest for automotive perfection is never-ending. But every so often, a car arrives that doesn’t just push the envelope; it tears it to shreds. Enter the Czinger 21C VMax—a car that represents the pinnacle of modern engineering, a radical departure from the norm, and frankly, utter automotive madness in the best possible way.
We recently spent a week living with this hypercar, an experience that began with a deep-dive into the factory that builds it and ended with a realization that the Czinger 21C VMax is in a league of its own. While the company has a strong reputation for setting track records (more on that later), we wanted to know what this 1,250-horsepower, 3D-printed titan is like in the real world. Spoiler alert: it’s not a car you just “drive”—it’s a machine you experience.
The Factory of the Future: Divergent Technologies
To truly understand the Czinger 21C VMax, you must understand its origin story. The car is the brainchild of Divergent Technologies, a company that has been working on cutting-edge manufacturing since its founding. I had the privilege of visiting their Los Angeles facility, an experience that felt less like a car factory and more like stepping into a futuristic laboratory.
The parent company’s name is Divergent Technologies, and it uses AI-powered 3D printing to create incredibly light yet strong components. They don’t just print car parts; they print components for defense contractors and automotive OEMs. Yes, that’s right—parts for Uncle Sam. While the military hardware was mostly covered, I did see a shape that resembled a rocket launcher. It’s surreal to see how this technology is being utilized.
Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both Divergent and Czinger Vehicles, took me on a tour. One glimpse inside a 3D printer felt like a preview of the future. Lasers were firing at powdered aluminum, creating parts that looked like bird bones. It’s a wild thing to witness.
Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology reaches the “Pareto optimal,” the point where any added or subtracted gram becomes a negative. For example, an engineer might need a part to hold a rear suspension damper remote reservoir. They need it to fit within a certain space and withstand forces up to a certain Y value. Using this target, the software iterates hundreds of thousands of designs until it finds the strongest, lightest shape. It’s evolution on fast-forward. Aside from the DOD, nine automotive OEMs use Divergent’s 3D-printed parts. Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren are the ones who publicly admit it, but the Ferrari F80’s control arms look like prime suspects.
The Two Faces of Madness: 21C vs. 21C VMax
Czinger builds two versions of what is essentially the same car. The Czinger 21C is the high-downforce, track monster, named after the 21st century. Then there’s the Czinger 21C VMax, the wingless, long-tailed version. Technically, the VMax is a 21C, but it never says “21C” on the car.
For the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile road rally through California wine country—I was behind the wheel of a silver VMax. This rally was designed to show how the car performs in the real world. There was a track component, sure, and everyone wants to know what a $2.5 million, 3D-printed, alien-tech, 1,250-horsepower hypercar feels like pushed to the brink. Those stories have been and will be told. But what about this tandem-seat, center-steer car on a 500-mile journey?
Factory Fresh: A Tour of Divergent Technologies
As mentioned, I’ve never had to show my passport to enter a car factory before, but Czinger is different. Divergent Technologies uses AI and huge 3D printers to design and produce incredibly light and strong mechanical components. They supply parts to the Department of Defense (or suppliers to the DOD). I was given a tour by Lukas Czinger, the young CEO of both companies, and what I saw was deeply cool. Specifically, a peek inside one of the massive printers made me feel like I was getting a glimpse into the future, as more than a dozen lasers zapped powdered aluminum into automotive parts that looked like bird bones. It’s just a wild thing to see.
Lukas explained that Divergent’s tech reaches “Pareto optimal” — the point after which a single gram, either added or subtracted, becomes a negative. For instance, an engineer might call for a part that holds the remote reservoir for the car’s rear suspension damper. There is X amount of space to fit it, and it needs to withstand forces as strong as Y. Using that target, the software iterates hundreds of thousands of designs until it finds the strongest, lightest shape. It’s like evolution on fast-forward. Aside from the DOD, nine automotive OEMs use Divergent as a supplier of 3D-printed parts. Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren are the only three that will publicly cop to it, though the Ferrari F80’s control arms sure look like suspects.
Under the Carbon Fiber: A 1,250-Horsepower Hybrid
Czinger builds two versions of what’s essentially the same car. The high-downforce, track monster 21C (named after the 21st century) and the wingless, long-tailed VMax. Technically the latter is the 21C VMax, but the 21C appears nowhere on the car. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through Central and Northern California’s wine country, I found myself piloting a silver VMax.
I say “piloting” purposely, as the cabin feels much more like a canopy than a regular vehicular greenhouse. Indeed, Czinger states it’s like being in a jet fighter. I’ve never had the opportunity, but I have gotten a ride inside an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and there’s a similarity. Basically, there’s glass less than a foot away from both sides of your head. The visibility is as excellent as the process of getting in and out of the car is ridiculous: Sit with your legs facing out on the massive sill, pull your knees up and spin on your butt as you tuck your feet into the footwell, then slide your head under the roof.
One reason the sills are so big is because they’re stuffed with batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, and each sill contains 2.2-kWh worth of battery power (for a 4.4-kWh total). The car isn’t a plug-in hybrid, so a motor powered by the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the pack charged. Those batteries can deliver 500 horsepower to the front axle, which has one motor per wheel. The combustion engine is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 that’s good for 750 hp on California’s crummy 91-octane premium unleaded. Dump 100-octane race fuel into the tank, and the horsepower increases to 850. The small but mighty engine can also run on ethanol and make even more power, but Czinger hasn’t released those figures; we predict a 10 percent jump.
The gas engine powers the rear wheels via an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is like the Xtrac seven-speed Pagani uses on the Utopia, but Czinger not only additively 3D prints the transmission case but also uses small 48-volt electric motors to more quickly execute shifts at lower speeds. This eliminates the drunken, surging feeling all other automated single-clutch ’boxes exhibit at low speeds. The twin-barrel actuators work as advertised in low-speed situations, as I was thankful to discover. Pulling into gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots felt almost normal. Seriously, bravo.
First Impressions: The Center-Steer Experience
I say “piloting” purposely, as the cabin feels much more like a canopy than a regular vehicular greenhouse. Indeed, Czinger states it’s like being in a jet fighter. I’ve never had the opportunity, but I have gotten a ride inside an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and there’s a similarity. Basically, there’s glass less than a foot away from both sides of your head. The visibility is as excellent as the process of getting in and out of the car is ridiculous: Sit with your legs facing out on the massive sill, pull your knees up and spin on your butt as you tuck your feet into the footwell, then slide your head under the roof.
One reason the sills are so big is because they’re stuffed with batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, and each sill contains 2.2-kWh worth of battery power (for a 4.4-kWh total). The car isn’t a plug-in hybrid, so a motor powered by the mid-mounted