Y&R Full 3-12-2026 || The Young And The Restless Full Episode THURSDAY, March 12.2026

Czinger 21C VMax: The Extraterrestrial Hybrid That Redefined Performance For years, the automotive world has been waiting for the moment Czinger, the California-based purveyor of “next-generation” hypercars, would deliver something truly game-changing. We’ve chronicled the technological revolution unfolding in their Los Angeles facilities, watching as founder Lukas Czinger and his father Kevin leveraged divergent thinking and cutting-edge additive manufacturing to create machines that look like they were plucked from a science fiction movie. Now, after an exhaustive, three-day road rally spanning the wine country of Central and Northern California, I can attest: the Czinger 21C VMax isn’t just another carbon-fiber monster. It’s a paradigm shift. Forget everything you think you know about hypercars; this is what the next 50 years of automotive engineering feels like, and it is utterly, unapologetically bonkers. Factory Fresh: A Look Inside the Atomic Printer The first indication that you’re entering a different dimension of car manufacturing is when you have to present your U.S. passport to enter the facility. Czinger’s parent company, Divergent Technologies, operates in a world where the Department of Defense isn’t just a potential client—it’s a partner. Divergent uses a unique, iterative artificial intelligence (AI) process coupled with massive 3D printing technology to create mechanical components that are both impossibly light and unnervingly strong. Walking into their assembly floor feels less like visiting a car company and more like stumbling into a covert weapons research lab. Although all military applications were strictly off-limits for photography, glimpsing the inner workings of one of the massive industrial printers was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Watching lasers fuse powdered aluminum into structures resembling delicate bird bones gave me the profound sense of witnessing the future of engineering in real time. Lukas Czinger explained that this isn’t merely optimization; it’s “Pareto optimality.” In simple terms, they engineer parts to the absolute breaking point. An engineer might specify a required space, load resistance, and function—say, a rear suspension reservoir bracket. Instead of designing a simple rectangular block, the software iterates through hundreds of thousands of potential shapes until it finds the most efficient structure. It’s evolutionary biology on fast-forward. Beyond the military-grade contracts, Divergent is a critical supplier to nine automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). While only Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) openly admit to using Divergent’s additive technology, there are strong whispers that the control arms in Ferrari’s next-generation F80 are also suspects. Under the Carbon Fiber: A Hybrid War Machine Czinger produces two distinct versions of what is essentially the same core platform. The first, the 21C (named after the 21st century), is a high-downforce track weapon. The second, the 21C VMax, is the wingless, long-tailed variant built for the road. Our test car was a stunning silver VMax, chosen for the inaugural Velocity Tour—a 500-mile road rally through the rolling vineyards and challenging curves of Northern California wine country. From the moment you approach, the Czinger 21C VMax announces its alien origins. The cabin feels more like a jet fighter’s cockpit than a car’s greenhouse. Lukas Czinger is right: driving this car is like piloting a stealth fighter. Having experienced the cockpit of an Extra 330LT stunt plane, I recognized the similarity immediately. There’s glass less than a foot from both sides of your head, offering unprecedented panoramic visibility. However, that unparalleled view comes at the cost of accessibility. Getting in and out of the Czinger VMax is an event in itself. You must sit facing outward on the massive central sill, pull your knees up to your chin, pivot like a ballerina performing a pirouette, and tuck your feet into the minimalist footwell. It’s ridiculous, dramatic, and utterly thrilling. One reason the sills are so broad is that they house the batteries. The 21C VMax is a plug-in hybrid system, with two 2.2 kWh batteries integrated into the side sills for a total of 4.4 kWh. While not a plug-in, the car uses the mid-mounted combustion engine to keep the batteries charged. These batteries power a front axle featuring one electric motor per wheel, capable of delivering a combined 500 horsepower to the front wheels alone. The heart of the beast is a Czinger-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. On California’s standard 91-octane premium fuel, it produces a staggering 750 horsepower. Step up to 100-octane racing fuel, and the power jumps to 850 horsepower. Czinger also hints at ethanol capabilities that would push power even higher, though those figures remain undisclosed. Power is routed to the rear wheels through an Xtrac seven-speed automated semi-sequential gearbox. This transmission is conceptually similar to the one used in the Pagani Utopia, but Czinger pushes the envelope further by 3D printing the entire gearbox casing and employing small, 48-volt electric motors to expedite shifts at lower speeds. This innovation eliminates the notorious lurching, drunken feeling that plagues almost all other single-clutch automated transmissions at parking lot speeds. The tiny actuators worked flawlessly, transforming the experience of navigating tight city streets and gas stations from an anxiety-inducing ordeal into a smooth, almost normal maneuver. Track Time: The Ghost in the Back Seat As is common with many hyper-exclusive machines, Czinger initially placed a professional driver, Evan Jacobs, in the rear seat to ensure I didn’t accidentally turn a $2.5 million hypercar into a crumpled carbon-fiber art installation. The seats themselves are not designed for comfort. My admittedly large calves were brutally wedged between the chassis tub and the seatback, and my feet felt cramped. Yet, the visibility through the side windows was phenomenal—like sitting in a fighter jet cockpit, offering a truly novel perspective on track driving, an activity I’ve performed in over a thousand different vehicles. Later that night, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I was not a menace to their property and was granted solo driving privileges for the remainder of the rally. We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but Czinger is strict: non-Czinger employees are prohibited from driving the VMax on a track, even at the snail’s pace of the rally. That’s when I experienced what I can only describe as the most extreme “ride-along” of my career. Riding shotgun with Jacobs as he navigated a few “6/10ths” hot laps was simply phenomenal. The most impressive ride I’ve ever experienced was in an Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH race car, where the braking forces were so intense they felt like a physical blow, forcing blood to drain from my extremities. The Czinger VMax is now a very close second—and remember, Jacobs wasn’t even pushing the car to its limit. Even at those conservative speeds, it’s easy to understand how the 21C VMax set five production car track records in five days, driving from track to track. The car later returned to Laguna Seca to not only beat its own record but to reclaim the lap time crown from the Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear. The resulting lap of 1 minute, 22.30 seconds is faster than the fastest MotoAmerica Superbike lap ever recorded at the track (1:22.56). Czinger claims a vehicle weight of approximately 3,600 pounds, which is remarkably light for a 1,250-hp hybrid. To put that into context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano—the most powerful version of a three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 plug-in hybrid that makes 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario, another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 hybrid (though with less power), pushes past the two-ton mark at a hefty 4,185 pounds. Now is a good time to remember 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 claims are accurate, the unorthodox California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends with their first production car. That alone is remarkable, especially considering that Los Angeles is known for many things, but deep-rooted supercar engineering expertise isn’t one of them. L.A. is not exactly Modena. On the Road: A Tour Through the Unexpected The route for the Velocity Tour primarily consisted of challenging back roads. Tight, winding paths with weather-beaten asphalt—not the manicured superhighways typically envisioned for hypercar tours. Furthermore, there was a significant amount of time spent following the group, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and keeping pace with the camera car. While I was slightly disappointed at the time, in hindsight, this is the experience most owners will have while living with a Czinger. Surprisingly, the VMax felt much like any other hyper-exotic. You must empty your pockets before getting in, as space is at a premium. Drink your water beforehand, as there are no cupholders. Brace yourself for the fact that nearly everyone else on the road, particularly males aged 16-24