Czinger 21C VMax: Hypercar Madness or the Future of Driving?
For years, the automotive world has been buzzing about Czinger. This Southern California upstart isn’t just building another supercar; they’re creating a technological marvel using advanced additive manufacturing, AI-driven design, and hybrid powertrains that push the boundaries of performance. When the invitation came to join a three-day road rally in the heart of California wine country aboard the Czinger 21C VMax, I had to accept.
The goal was simple: see if a seven-figure, 1,250-horsepower machine that looks like it was pulled from a sci-fi film could be more than just a track weapon. Could it survive a 500-mile road trip without breaking down or causing a nuclear meltdown? We’ll explore the radical engineering, the stunning visuals, and the raw driving experience of this groundbreaking vehicle.
Factory Fresh: A Tour of Divergent Technologies
Before seeing the 21C VMax in person, I had to visit the factory that builds it: Divergent Technologies. And let me tell you, stepping into this place felt like walking onto the set of a futuristic movie. You need your passport to enter because Divergent supplies high-tech components to the Department of Defense, not just the automotive industry.
During my tour, the young CEO, Lukas Czinger, showed me around. The highlight was a glimpse into one of their massive 3D printers. Watching lasers fuse powdered aluminum into automotive parts that look like delicate bird bones was mind-blowing. It was like witnessing the evolution of engineering in fast-forward. Divergent’s technology reaches the “Pareto optimal,” a point where adding or subtracting even a single gram degrades performance. Imagine an engineer needing a suspension component; instead of sketching it by hand, they input the forces required, and the software iterates hundreds of thousands of designs until it finds the strongest, lightest shape.
This groundbreaking technology isn’t just limited to Czinger. Nine other automotive OEMs use Divergent for their 3D-printed parts. While Aston Martin (DBR22 Roadster), Bugatti (Tourbillon), and McLaren (W1) have publicly acknowledged using their services, the Ferrari F80’s control arms definitely look like they belong in that group. It’s clear that Divergent is reshaping how vehicles are built for the 21st century.
Under the Carbon Fiber: The Czinger 21C VMax
Czinger produces two versions of what is essentially the same car. The high-downforce, track-focused 21C (named for the 21st century) and the wingless, long-tailed 21C VMax. For the inaugural Velocity Tour, a 500-mile rally through the rolling hills of Central and Northern California’s wine country, I was piloting a stunning silver VMax.
I use the word “piloting” on purpose. The cabin feels more like a jet fighter cockpit than a traditional car interior. Lukas Czinger himself said it reminds him of being in an Extra 330LT stunt plane, and I can see why. The visibility is incredible, with glass almost touching your head from both sides. Getting in and out, however, is a ridiculous process: you sit with your legs stretched out on the massive side sill, pull your knees up and spin your body as you tuck your feet into the footwell, then slide your head under the roof.
One reason those sills are so large is that they’re packed with batteries. The 21C VMax is a hybrid hypercar, and each sill contains a 2.2-kWh battery (totaling 4.4 kWh). It’s not a plug-in hybrid; the mid-mounted V-8 engine keeps the pack charged. These batteries can power the front axle with one motor per wheel, delivering 500 horsepower.
The gasoline engine is a custom-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 that makes 750 horsepower on California’s 91-octane premium fuel. If you pump 100-octane race fuel into the tank, the horsepower jumps to 850. The compact yet powerful engine can also run on ethanol, producing even more power, although those specific figures haven’t been released. We’re guessing around a 10 percent increase.
The gas engine sends power to the rear wheels via an Xtrac single-clutch automated semi-sequential gearbox. This is similar to the Xtrac seven-speed transmission Pagani uses in the Utopia, but Czinger goes a step further. They not only 3D-print the transmission case but also use small 48-volt electric motors to execute shifts at lower speeds. This eliminates the “drunk” lurching feeling that plagues most automated single-clutch transmissions. The twin-barrel actuators work as advertised, and I was thankful for them when navigating gas stations, restaurants, and hotel parking lots. The VMax handled these low-speed situations almost normally. Seriously, bravo to the Czinger team.
Track Time: A Ride in the Rocket
What never felt normal was the professional driver sitting right behind me for the entire first day. As is standard practice with many high-dollar hypercars (think Bugatti and Pagani), Czinger assigned a pro driver (Evan Jacobs) to ensure I didn’t drive the $2.5 million machine off a cliff. Thankfully, later that night, Jacobs assured the Czinger team that I was no threat and they allowed me to drive solo for the rest of the rally.
We stopped by Laguna Seca for some parade laps, but for whatever reason, non-Czinger employees aren’t allowed to drive the VMax on racetracks, even at the painfully slow pace the rally participants were limited to.
As I’ve learned the hard way, even if you can’t drive, a ride in a high-performance car is always worth it. I scrambled into the bizarre rear seat. The first thing to note is that if you have large calves or feet, the back-seat experience isn’t great. My XXL calves were literally wedged between the carbon-fiber tub and the seat, and my feet barely fit. However, the visibility through the side glass is incredible. Once again, it reminded me of a stunt plane and was a refreshingly novel way to experience riding around a track—something I’ve done hundreds of times.
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 hot lap I’ve 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 VMax is now second on that list. And remember, Jacobs didn’t go full tilt.
Even at something less than the limit and without the massive rear wing, it was easy to understand how a Czinger 21C achieved what the brand calls the California Gold Rush. That means it set five production car track records—at Thunder Hill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and the Thermal Club—in five days, 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 the Koenigsegg Jesko Sadair’s Spear track special. That lap time, a ridiculous 1 minute, 22.30 seconds, is quicker 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 pretty light for a 1,250-horsepower hybrid. For context, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Asseto Fiorano—the highest-performance version of a three-motor twin-turbo V-8 PHEV that only makes 986 hp—weighs 3,839 pounds. The new Lamborghini Temerario is another three-motor, twin-turbo V-8 (with less power, but you get the comparison) that tips the scales at 4,185 pounds.
Now’s 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, this unorthodox Southern California startup has managed to beat two Italian legends right out of the gate. That’s remarkable on its own but especially noteworthy considering that while Los Angeles is known for many things, there isn’t a huge pool of supercar building expertise to draw from. In other words, L.A. isn’t exactly Modena.
On the Road: Normal Driving with a Rocket
The route chosen for the rally consisted mostly of true back roads. Tight, winding, and often bumpy pavement—not exactly the dream asphalt for a hypercar trip. Plus, there was a lot of following the pack, navigating to lunch and coffee stops, and keeping pace with the camera car. At the time, I might have been a bit disappointed, but in retrospect, what I experienced is what most owners will encounter while living with a Czinger.
To my surprise, the VMax was mostly like driving any other hyper-exotic. Empty your pockets as the seats are tight, drink your water before getting in as there are no cupholders, and numb yourself to the fact that almost everyone else on the road—especially
