Jason’s Baby Revealed? Liz Forces Britt To Give Up Her Medical Career. General Hospital Spoilers

Czinger 21C VMax: A $2.5 Million Electric Rocket That Redefines Hypercar Ownership For years, the automotive world has been abuzz with the arrival of Czinger Vehicles, a company based in Southern California that has taken the concept of a hypercar and turned it on its head. With their ground-breaking use of artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and hybrid powertrain technology, Czinger has managed to create a vehicle that is as awe-inspiring as it is terrifying to drive. Having had the opportunity to drive their flagship model, the Czinger 21C VMax, on a three-day road rally through California’s wine country, I can attest that this is not just another car; it is a radical reimagining of what a high-performance vehicle can be. Factory Fresh: A Glimpse into the Future My journey began at the headquarters of Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger. Unlike any other automotive factory tour I have experienced, I had to present my U.S. passport to enter the facility. This is because Divergent Technologies supplies parts to the Department of Defense, a fact that speaks volumes about the advanced nature of their technology. The tour was led by Lukas Czinger, the young and ambitious CEO of both companies. Walking through the massive 3D printers felt like stepping into the future, with lasers fusing powdered aluminum into automotive parts that resembled bird bones—a truly surreal experience. Lukas explained that Divergent’s technology reaches “Pareto optimal,” a point where any weight added or subtracted becomes detrimental to performance. For example, when creating a part to hold a rear suspension damper reservoir, the software iterates through hundreds of thousands of designs until it finds the most lightweight yet structurally sound shape. This process is like evolution in fast-forward. In addition to the DOD, nine automotive OEMs utilize Divergent’s 3D-printed parts, with Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren being the most publicly vocal, while the Ferrari F80’s control arms are suspected suspects. Under the Carbon Fiber: The Specs Behind the Speed Czinger builds two versions of the same car: the track-focused 21C and the long-tailed, wingless VMax. The VMax, technically the 21C VMax but with no “21C” badging, served as my steed for the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile road rally through Northern California. The cabin of the 21C VMax feels more like a cockpit than a traditional car interior. Czinger describes it as similar to being in a jet fighter, and after experiencing a ride in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, I can confirm the similarities. There is glass less than a foot away from both sides of your head, and the visibility is exceptional. However, the entry and exit process is nothing short of ridiculous: you sit with your legs facing out on the large sill, pull your knees up and tuck your feet into the footwell, and then slide your head under the roof. One reason for the large sills is the batteries they house. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, with 2.2-kWh of battery power in each sill for a total of 4.4 kWh. The car is not a plug-in hybrid, so the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the battery charged. These batteries can deliver 500 horsepower to the front wheels, which have individual motors. The engine itself is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 capable of producing 750 horsepower on California’s standard 91-octane fuel. However, using 100-octane race fuel increases the horsepower to 850. The engine can also run on ethanol, which reportedly yields even more power, although the specific figures have not been released. Based on the gas performance, we predict a 10 percent increase with ethanol. The gasoline engine powers the rear wheels through an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This transmission is similar to the one Pagani uses in the Utopia, but Czinger takes it a step further. Not only is the transmission case 3D printed using additive manufacturing, but it also employs small 48-volt electric motors to facilitate smoother shifts at low speeds. This eliminates the jarring surge that plagues other automated single-clutch gearboxes at low RPMs. The twin-barrel actuators perform as advertised, making low-speed maneuvers such as pulling into gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots surprisingly manageable. Bravo to Czinger for this innovation. Track Time: Pushing the Envelope What never felt normal was the driver sitting behind me for the entire day. As is customary with some high-end hypercars (such as Bugatti and Pagani), Czinger equipped the car with a professional driver (Evan Jacobs) to prevent me from crashing the $2.5 million vehicle. Thankfully, Jacobs later assured the Czinger team that I was no threat to the car and allowed me to drive solo for the remainder of the rally. We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but for safety reasons, only Czinger employees are permitted to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the extremely slow pace of the rally participants. As I have learned through hard experience, even if you cannot drive, you can still enjoy the ride. I had the privilege of riding in the passenger seat of the VMax, and the experience was unlike any other. The first thing to note is that if you have large calves or feet, the back-seat experience is not ideal. My XXL calves were wedged between the carbon fiber tub and the carbon fiber seat, and my feet did not fit well either. However, the visibility through the side windows is incredible, and the experience reminded me of riding in a stunt plane—a novel way to experience a track I have driven countless times before. This was particularly evident when Jacobs and I convinced the Skip Barber Racing School staff to allow him to take the VMax for a couple of “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 I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities during braking. The Czinger 21C VMax now holds the second spot, and keep in mind that Jacobs did not drive at full throttle. Even at below-limit speeds and without the rear wing, it was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C achieved its impressive track records. The brand claims the 21C set five production car track records in five days 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 to reclaim the throne from a track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. That lap time, a ridiculous 1:22.30, 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 hypercar. For context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV that only produces 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (that again produces less power but serves as a useful comparison), weighs over two tons, coming in at 4,185 pounds. Now is 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 California startup has managed to outperform two Italian legends with its first-generation vehicle. This is remarkable on its own but especially noteworthy considering that Southern California is not traditionally known for supercar manufacturing. In other words, Los Angeles is not exactly Modena. On the Road: Real-World Experience The route chosen for the rally consisted primarily of true back roads. Tight, winding, and poorly maintained pavement—not the kind of asphalt that hypercar dream trips are made of. Additionally, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and keeping up with the camera car. At the time, I was slightly disappointed, but in retrospect, I realized that this experience mirrors what most owners will encounter while living with a Czinger. To my surprise, the VMax felt mostly like driving any other hyper-exotic car. You must empty your pockets as the seats are tight, drink your water before getting in as there are no cupholders, and mentally prepare for the fact that almost everyone else on the road, especially males between 16 and 24, will be looking at you, following you, waving at you, and revving at you, all while (probably) screaming friendly obscenities. Regardless, the Czinger rides much better than I anticipated; the team deserves applause for not making it overly stiff. Even the air conditioning works well. If I have any complaint about the “normal stuff” aspect of the VMax, it is simply the cabin noise level. I am not referring to the unique V-8 engine sound, but rather the apparent lack of sound deadening. This is ideal for a track car like the other version of the