2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 U-Drags Lucid Air, Someone Gets Unexpectedly Stomped, Twice

Everyone tries to combine their experiences into new features – and we do it throughout our lives. That is part of what makes us humans, and the genius thing is that we can apply it across all domains. Including the imaginative realm of the automotive industry, as it turns out. And there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have an eloquent (new) example.

So, not long ago, Edmunds decided to brainstorm and try to mix their love of testing cars with America’s passion for quarter-mile dragstrip shenanigans. And they produced something they call an ‘u-drag,’ which is a “race to there and back,” meaning they do a standing quarter mile, brake as hard as possible past the finish marker, turn as tightly as possible with as many Gs as the cars can handle, and then roar back to the initial point via a rolling drag race to see who comes up on top.

The first two such races were probably just to put things into the right perspective, and both revolved around the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, that 670-horsepower record-breaking FPC hoot that is borderline close to supercar material. Initially, it duked it out with a much more expensive, more powerful, and torquier McLaren 765LT, and of course, it was not even close! Secondly, they gave it an easy fighting chance against its lesser Z51 Stingray sibling. Now, though, the tough gets going, as it is an ICE-powered car versus an EV brawl for the ages.

And no, that is not a Tesla on the start line next to the Corvette Z06 with the Z07 package. Instead, it is the new 2023 World Luxury Car, aka Lucid’s Air Grand Touring. The specification sheet clearly shows the imbalance – 670 hp against a 2022 Grand Touring with 819 hp and instant massive torque. What is also grandiose is the weight difference, plus the choice of tires can also play into the fold after the sports car’s rubber is properly warmed. As always, there were two races, and drivers swapped cars to make sure there was no advantage on one side or the other.

By the way, remember this different type of race takes place on a completely unprepped surface, so that’s also a factor to consider when trying to predict the potential outcome. With that being said, we are not going to spoil the fun of watching these two duke it out to the quarter-mile marker and back. The only thing we are going to say is that the sound of the Z06 is sublime, and that on both occasions one of the cars was basically destroyed by its adversary!