The Czinger 21C VMax: The Future, Today, Right Now
For years, the automotive press has been captivated by Czinger Vehicles, the ambitious Southern California startup that has dared to reinvent the hypercar. So when the opportunity arose to participate in the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile road rally traversing the stunning landscapes of Central and Northern California—I couldn’t refuse. Our mission: to understand what the Czinger 21C VMax is truly like on the open road. We knew the track story was important (and we’ll touch on that), but our focus was on the center-steer, tandem two-seater experience over hundreds of miles. What we discovered was a car that feels less like a vehicle and more like a piece of functional aerospace engineering, wrapped in a jaw-dropping, 3D-printed skin.
Stepping into a New Dimension
Before we even got behind the wheel, the visit to the Czinger facility—the birthplace of this mechanical marvel—was an education in itself. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, is a fascinating entity. They utilize advanced iterative artificial intelligence and massive 3D printers to engineer lightweight, structurally optimized components. It’s this technology that forms the backbone of the Czinger, and it’s a technology that extends into the defense sector. Yes, you read that right. Divergent supplies parts to the Department of Defense, meaning the engineering behind Czinger is not just for show—it’s rigorously tested for real-world applications.
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The Czinger 21C VMax: The Future, Today, Right Now
For years, the automotive press has been captivated by Czinger Vehicles, the ambitious Southern California startup that has dared to reinvent the hypercar. So when the opportunity arose to participate in the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile road rally traversing the stunning landscapes of Central and Northern California—I couldn’t refuse. Our mission: to understand what the Czinger 21C VMax is truly like on the open road. We knew the track story was important (and we’ll touch on that), but our focus was on the center-steer, tandem two-seater experience over hundreds of miles. What we discovered was a car that feels less like a vehicle and more like a piece of functional aerospace engineering, wrapped in a jaw-dropping, 3D-printed skin.
Stepping into a New Dimension
Before we even got behind the wheel, the visit to the Czinger facility—the birthplace of this mechanical marvel—was an education in itself. The parent company, Divergent Technologies, is a fascinating entity. They utilize advanced iterative artificial intelligence and massive 3D printers to engineer lightweight, structurally optimized components. It’s this technology that forms the backbone of the Czinger, and it’s a technology that extends into the defense sector. Yes, you read that right. Divergent supplies parts to the Department of Defense, meaning the engineering behind Czinger is not just for show—it’s rigorously tested for real-world applications.
During my tour, led by the young and visionary CEO Lukas Czinger, I witnessed this technology in action. Peeking inside one of their enormous 3D printers was like looking into the future. Lasers were zapping powdered aluminum into components that looked like intricate bird bones, showcasing an evolutionary process on fast-forward. This isn’t just hypercar craftsmanship; it’s the pinnacle of modern manufacturing. It’s estimated that at least nine automotive OEMs leverage Divergent’s 3D-printing expertise, with Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren being the most vocal about their partnerships. While the Ferrari F80’s control arms look like strong suspects, the list of partners is more extensive than publicly acknowledged, highlighting the widespread impact of this revolutionary technology.
The Anatomy of an Alien
Czinger builds two distinct versions of essentially the same car: the high-downforce, track-focused 21C (named for the 21st century) and the aerodynamically sleek VMax, which notably omits the traditional rear wing. For the Velocity Tour, I was piloting a silver VMax, a car that pushes the boundaries of what we consider a road-going vehicle.
The cabin is more of a canopy than a conventional greenhouse. Czinger themselves state it feels like being inside a jet fighter, and I can certainly attest to the similarity. Even though I haven’t flown in a stunt plane, I have experienced the intimate cockpit of an Extra 330LT, and the Czinger captures that feeling perfectly. Glass is positioned less than a foot from both sides of your head, providing unparalleled visibility, despite the extreme proximity.
The seating position itself is… unique. The entry is a rather ridiculous process: you have to sit on the massive sill, pull your knees up high, spin your body, and tuck your feet into the footwell. It’s far from elegant, but it’s a necessary consequence of the car’s radical design.
One reason for these wide sills? Batteries. The Czinger 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, and each sill houses a 2.2-kWh battery pack, for a total of 4.4 kWh. It’s not a plug-in hybrid; instead, the engine generates the power needed to charge the batteries. These batteries can deliver an astonishing 500 horsepower to the front axle, each driven by its own dedicated motor. Underneath the carbon fiber, a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 generates 750 hp on California’s 91-octane premium fuel. Switch to 100-octane race fuel, and that figure jumps to a staggering 850 hp. Czinger also hints at even more power when using ethanol, but those figures remain under wraps.
The Driving Experience
The power delivery is handled by an Xtrac seven-speed, automated single-clutch semi-sequential gearbox. It’s the same transmission used in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger takes it a step further. They 3D-print the transmission casing and utilize small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds, effectively eliminating the drunken, surging feeling that plagues most other automated single-clutch transmissions. In the city, navigating gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots felt almost normal, a testament to this innovation.
However, the most striking aspect of the VMax experience isn’t the powertrain; it’s the human element. For the entire first day of the Velocity Tour, a professional driver, Evan Jacobs, sat in the rear seat. This is a common practice with many high-dollar hypercars, like those from Bugatti and Pagani, ensuring the driver doesn’t send the multi-million-dollar vehicle into a ditch. Thankfully, later that evening, Jacobs assured the Czinger team I was a minimal threat and they allowed me to drive solo for the rest of the journey.
We did make a stop at Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but non-Czinger employees aren’t permitted to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the slow paces dictated by the rally. As I’ve learned the hard way, even if you’re not the driver, you still experience the ride. I moved to the bizarre rear seat, and if you have large calves or feet, this is not a comfortable experience. My XXL calves were literally wedged between the carbon fiber tub and the seat, and my feet felt cramped. However, the visibility through the side windows is absolutely incredible. It genuinely feels like a fighter jet, offering a novel perspective on a track I’ve driven hundreds of times.
Pushing the Envelope
This was especially true 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 ride I’ve ever experienced was in the Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where I could feel the blood pooling in my extremities under the brutal braking forces. The Czinger VMax now holds the second spot on that list, and remember, Jacobs wasn’t going full tilt.
Even without the full downforce of the rear wing, it was easy to understand how the Czinger 21C achieved what the brand calls the “California Gold Rush.” That means it set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in just five days, driving from one track to the next. Later, Czinger returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the throne from the track-special Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The lap time of a ridiculous 1:22.30 is even faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at Laguna (a 1:22.56).
Czinger claims a vehicle weight of around 3,600 pounds, which is incredibly light for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To put that in perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Assetto Fiorano, the highest-performance 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 (with less power, but the comparison stands), surpasses the two-ton mark at a chunky 4,185 pounds.
Now’s a good time to mention that the SF90 and Temerario are the two fastest gasoline-powered cars we’ve ever tested (the Ferrari for 0–60 mph and the Lambo for the quarter mile). If Czinger’s weight claim holds true, this unconventional Southern California startup has managed to outpace two Italian legends in their own game. That’s remarkable in itself, especially considering that Los Angeles is known for many things, but not for a deep pool of supercar manufacturing expertise. In other words, L.A. isn’t exactly Modena.
Back Roads and Reality
The chosen route for the rally consisted mostly of true back roads. Tight, winding, and often poorly maintained asphalt—not exactly the ideal playground for hypercar dream trips. Plus, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and keeping up with the camera car. While I was perhaps a bit disappointed at the time, in retrospect, I realize this experience is more akin to what most owners will actually experience while living with a Czinger.
To my surprise, the VMax was mostly like driving any other hyper-exotic. Take everything out of your pockets—the seats are tight. Drink your water before you get in—there are no cupholders. Brace yourself for the fact that almost everyone else on the road, especially males between the ages of 16 and 24, will be staring, following, waving, and revving at you, likely shouting friendly obscenities.
Despite the extreme engineering, the Czinger handles much better than I expected. The team deserves applause for not making it overly stiff. Even the air conditioning works well. My only real complaint about