- While the ZR1X has more power, the Lucid has the torque advantage.
- During these races, the Air sprinted down the quarter-mile in 8.99 seconds.
- The Lucid’s all-electric power gives it a traction advantage off the line.
A week is a long time in performance bragging rights. Last week the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X pulverized a Bugatti Chiron across a run of drag races, which looked a lot like proof that nothing wearing a Stars and Stripes could touch it. The Lucid Air Sapphire would now like a word.
Introduced a few years ago to dethrone the Tesla Model S Plaid, the ultimate Air Sapphire delivers hypercar-level straight-line performance in a luxurious package that rivals the very best from Germany. As this clip from DragTimes reveals, it also has the upper hand over the ZR1X in terms of acceleration.
Watch: Corvette ZR1X Looks Unstoppable Until One Electric Sedan Shows Up
In the first of a series of drag races between the pair, the all-electric Lucid needed just 2.0 seconds to hit 60 mph (96 km/h), ran through the eighth-mile in 5.83 seconds, and stormed down the quarter mile in 8.99 seconds, pulling a couple of car lengths of the Corvette in the process.
It’s a similar story in the second race, where the Lucid again pulls out an early advantage as the Corvette struggles to put all of its power to the ground. However, even if the ZR1X does get the perfect launch, it simply can’t match the Lucid off the line.
Electric Power Beats Hybrid V8 Power
Interestingly, the two are slightly better matched in a rolling race, where some of the Lucid’s advantages off the line are negated, but even then, the Corvette can’t quite keep up.
Ultimately, the results aren’t unexpected. While the ZR1X does have slightly more horsepower, delivering 1,250 hp compared to the Air Sapphire’s 1,234 hp, the Lucid has way more torque with 1,430 lb-ft (1,938 Nm), whereas the Corvette makes do with 973 lb-ft (1,319 Nm). This is more than enough to offset the added heft of the Lucid, which weighs around 5,336 lbs (2,420 kg) compared to 3,914 lbs (1,775 kg) for the ‘Vette.
