As if electric vehicles weren't already fast enough in the quarter mile, Ben Collins recently clocked 8.9 seconds in a stock-looking Lucid Air. Not any version of the Air, but a three-motor land missile that retails at an eye-watering $249,000.
Considerably pricier than a Tesla Model S Plaid (even with the $20,000 Track Package), the Air Sapphire in the video below required 8.989 seconds to blitz the quarter mile at 155.19 miles per hour. Or 249.75 kilometers per hour if you prefer metric.
That’s a bit off the official claim of 8.95 seconds, though. We also have to remember that Lucid’s hi-po sedan clocked 8.94 seconds at Sonoma Raceway with Jason Cammisa behind the steering wheel.
Lucid’s halo car also promises 1.89 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 3.84 seconds from zero to 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers per hour), numbers that are simply too much for the internal combustion-engined crowd. Maximum speed? That would be 205 miles per hour (330 kilometers per hour), thank you very much.
The Air Sapphire isn’t a one-trick pony at all, but a tantalizing combination of daily-driving practicality and mind-bending performance. As per the Environmental Protection Agency, the most expensive and fastest version of the Air is good for 427 miles (687 kilometers) on a single charge and 3.61 miles per kilowatt hour. Not bad for a large sedan with 1,234 horsepower under its belt, huh?
Photo: Lucid on YouTube
There is, however, a bit of a problem with the Air Sapphire. Not only does it retail at more than twice the Model S Plaid’s starting price ($89,990 at the moment of writing) while not being more than twice the car, but why would a well-to-do guy or gal spend this kind of money on a car from a brand that isn’t as exotic as Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Ferrari?
You could make a case for its clever tech and green credentials, for sure, yet a rear-drive Huracan Evo delivers a far more visceral driving experience. You could also spend your hard-earned money on a Hennessey-tuned Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with a manual and 1,000 horsepower from a small-block V8 lump topped by a thumpin’ great supercharger.
There’s no denying the Lucid Air Sapphire offers a sense of occasion that few sedans can match. Looking at the bigger picture, did you grow up dreaming of owning a fast electric sedan or a look-at-me Lamborghini with a shouty free-breathing engine?
We also have to remember that – at least for the time being – Lucid’s future is a bit uncertain due to abysmal deliveries in the third quarter of 2023. The California-based automaker moved 1,457 vehicles in the past quarter, which represents a 4% improvement over Q3 2022. By comparison, Tesla delivered 15,985 examples of the S and X in addition to 419,074 of the Model 3 and Model Y.
With a bit of luck, the newcomer will get closer to its main rival with the introduction of the Gravity SUV at the 2023 edition of the LA Auto Show.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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