Czinger 21C VMax: A Glimpse into the Future, One Mile at a Time
For years, the automotive world has watched the emergence of Czinger, a Southern California company that dares to reimagine the hypercar. Now, after a multi-day road rally through the winding backroads of Northern California wine country, I can tell you this: the Czinger 21C VMax is more than just a hypercar; it is a visceral, breathtaking testament to where automotive engineering is heading. It is a fusion of AI-driven design, cutting-edge 3D-printed materials, and a hybrid powertrain that shatters the boundaries of what we thought was possible.
Our journey began not with a key turn, but with a security check. Visiting the Divergent Technologies manufacturing facility, the parent company of Czinger, felt less like a factory tour and more like stepping into a scene from a high-tech sci-fi movie. The strict ID requirements were necessary—Divergent Technologies is a supplier for the U.S. Department of Defense, and one of the monolithic 3D printers we observed bore a striking resemblance to a rocket assembly.
As Lukas Czinger, the visionary CEO of both companies, guided us through the production floor, the genius of the operation became clear. The Divergent tech reaches what engineers call the “Pareto optimal”—the point where further optimization is impossible, where every gram of weight either added or removed detracts from performance. Imagine an engineer requesting a part to withstand a specific force within a tight spatial constraint. Divergent’s software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs, finding the most structurally sound and lightest configuration possible. It’s evolution in fast forward.
This technology is not exclusive to Czinger. Nine automotive OEMs, including Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren, utilize Divergent’s 3D-printed components. While these are the publicly acknowledged partners, the elegant control arms of the Ferrari F80 make a compelling argument that they might be on the list, too.
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Czinger 21C VMax: A Glimpse into the Future, One Mile at a Time
For years, the automotive world has watched the emergence of Czinger, a Southern California company that dares to reimagine the hypercar. Now, after a multi-day road rally through the winding backroads of Northern California wine country, I can tell you this: the Czinger 21C VMax is more than just a hypercar; it is a visceral, breathtaking testament to where automotive engineering is heading. It is a fusion of AI-driven design, cutting-edge 3D-printed materials, and a hybrid powertrain that shatters the boundaries of what we thought was possible.
Our journey began not with a key turn, but with a security check. Visiting the Divergent Technologies manufacturing facility, the parent company of Czinger, felt less like a factory tour and more like stepping into a scene from a high-tech sci-fi movie. The strict ID requirements were necessary—Divergent Technologies is a supplier for the U.S. Department of Defense, and one of the monolithic 3D printers we observed bore a striking resemblance to a rocket assembly.
As Lukas Czinger, the visionary CEO of both companies, guided us through the production floor, the genius of the operation became clear. The Divergent tech reaches what engineers call the “Pareto optimal”—the point where further optimization is impossible, where every gram of weight either added or removed detracts from performance. Imagine an engineer requesting a part to withstand a specific force within a tight spatial constraint. Divergent’s software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs, finding the most structurally sound and lightest configuration possible. It’s evolution in fast forward.
This technology is not exclusive to Czinger. Nine automotive OEMs, including Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren, utilize Divergent’s 3D-printed components. While these are the publicly acknowledged partners, the elegant control arms of the Ferrari F80 make a compelling argument that they might be on the list, too.
The Anatomy of a Hypercar
Czinger produces two distinct versions of the 21C, each engineered for a specific purpose. The 21C (named for the 21st century) is the high-downforce, track-focused variant, while the VMax is the wingless, long-tailed version designed for pure straight-line speed.
For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally stretching across Central and Northern California’s legendary wine country, I found myself behind the wheel of a sleek, silver VMax. From the moment I opened the canopy-like door, I knew this was not an ordinary drive. The cabin feels more like a fighter jet cockpit than a traditional automobile greenhouse. Stepping inside requires a practiced maneuver: sit with your legs facing out on the massive sill, pull your knees up, pivot your body, and tuck your feet into the footwell. It’s a challenging ingress, but the reward is unparalleled visibility. With glass surrounding you on nearly all sides, the world outside feels immediate and immersive.
Under the Hood: A Hybrid Masterpiece
The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, and the sills are more than just structural elements—they house the batteries. Each sill contains a 2.2-kWh battery pack, totaling 4.4 kWh of power. This is not a plug-in hybrid; the batteries are charged by the mid-mounted V-8 engine. Those batteries can deliver a staggering 500 horsepower to the front axle, which features independent motors for each wheel.
The Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 generates 750 hp on California’s standard 91-octane premium unleaded fuel. Should you opt for 100-octane race fuel, the output jumps to 850 hp. Czinger also plans to utilize ethanol, a fuel known for its high octane rating, which is likely to yield even more horsepower, though the exact figures remain under wraps. We predict a 10% increase when running on pure ethanol.
The gas engine sends power to the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. While this transmission is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed used in the Pagani Utopia, Czinger takes it a step further by 3D-printing the gearbox case and incorporating small 48-volt electric motors to smooth out shifts at low speeds. This innovation eliminates the “drunken lurch” that often plagues automated single-clutch transmissions. As I discovered navigating crowded parking lots and gas stations, the twin-barrel actuators work flawlessly, making the VMax feel surprisingly manageable for a car with this level of power.
The Track Test: 1,000 Horsepower of Precision
One cannot experience the Czinger 21C VMax without testing its limits, but the initial attempt at a track was… interesting. As is common with such hyper-expensive machines (think Bugatti and Pagani), a professional driver, Evan Jacobs, sat in the rear seat for the first day. His role was simple: ensure I didn’t drive the $2,500,000 machine off a cliff.
Thankfully, Jacobs later vouched for my ability to handle the car, allowing me to drive solo for the remainder of the rally. We stopped at the iconic Laguna Seca for some parade laps, though non-Czinger employees are prohibited from driving the VMax on track, even at the leisurely pace of the rally.
The next best thing? Riding shotgun. I slid into the bizarre rear seat, an experience akin to being in a stunt plane. If you have big calves or feet, the rear seat experience is cramped. My XXL calves were pressed against the carbon-fiber tub and the seat, and my feet didn’t fit comfortably. However, the visibility through the side glass was extraordinary. It was a novel way to experience a track, something I’ve done hundreds of times, but never like this.
The Pursuit of Speed
Jacobs and I convinced the staff at the Skip Barber Racing School 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 I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities under heavy braking. The Czinger VMax now holds the second spot on that list, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even pushing the car to its full potential.
Even without the big-downforce rear wing, it was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C achieved the “California Gold Rush.” In five days, the car set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—driving from each track to the next. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but reclaim the throne from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. That record-setting lap time, a mind-bending 1 minute, 22.30 seconds, is faster than the quickest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna, which stands at 1:22.56.
Czinger claims a vehicle weight of approximately 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To provide context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano, the most powerful version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV, makes 986 hp and weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor twin-turbo V-8 with less power, tips the scales at 4,185 pounds.
Now is a good time to mention that the SF90 and Temerario are two of the 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 outperform two Italian giants right out of the gate. This is remarkable in itself, especially considering that while Southern California is a hub for many industries, there isn’t a deep-rooted heritage of supercar manufacturing like there is in Modena.
The Road Ahead: Navigating Reality
The Velocity Tour route was chosen to test the VMax in real-world conditions. The majority of the drive involved tight, winding roads with rough, weathered pavement—not the idealized asphalt of hypercar fantasies. There was also a lot of following the pace car, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and hanging with the camera car.
At the time, I was slightly disappointed. I wanted to unleash the beast on the open road. But in retrospect, what I experienced is precisely what most owners will encounter. The VMax is 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 because there are no cup holders, and get used to the fact that almost everyone else on the road, especially young males, will be staring, following, waving, and revving their engines at you, all while likely screaming friendly obscenities.
Despite the initial impressions, the VMax rides much better than I anticipated. The team