Lucid Claims 8-sec. Quarter Mile for 1200 HP Sapphire Edition
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Lucid Claims 8-sec. Quarter Mile

1200+-HP Lucid Air Sapphire EV Luxury Sedan Will Have Shocking Acceleration

Sick of hearing about the Tesla Model S Plaid, Pete Rawlinson’s Lucid crew rolls out a 3-motor, 1200 HP monster of an EV.

The new Lucid Air “Sapphire” edition costs more – a lot more – than the $87,400 “Pure” version … but that money gets you three powerful electric motors, more than 1200 HP, well over the 738 lb-ft of TQ that comes in the Air Dream edition, a 230+ MPH top speed, and ultimate bragging rights.

What does that mean, exactly? Consider that a pre-production Air Dream ran a 9.9-second quarter mile with 100 fewer ponies available, and you’ll start to understand. Here are some specs:

 
  • 0-60 MPH in less than 2.0 seconds
  • 0-100 MPH in less than 4.0 seconds
  • the quarter mile in less than 9.0 seconds
  • a top speed “exceeding 200 mph,” (our guess: by a lot)
 

That’s right – Lucid claims the Sapphire will drop into the 8s, and nothing else this side of a highly-tuned Nissan GT-R or one of Unplugged Performance’s Pike’s Peak Tesla racers will keep up with the Sapphire. Even then, the Sapphire’s advanced torque-vectoring and traction controls mean that even an inexperienced driver will be able to put up some impressive track times – which is definitely something Lucid seems to have in mind, considering its press photos have the car blasting around Laguna Seca. That’s Tesla Corsa territory, and the Lucid team most assuredly knows that.

Consider that a shot across the bow, then.

 

Lucid Air Sapphire vs. Laguna Seca

 

“Last year, Lucid rocked the world with the launch of Lucid Air, a fusion of unsurpassed range, efficiency, superior driving dynamics, and interior space, uniquely enabled by our in-house technology.” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. “Today, with the introduction of the Sapphire line, we take the next logical step of advancement. Lucid Air Sapphire, being the very first Lucid product to bear the Sapphire name, builds upon our technical prowess to take electric high-performance on to next level. Sapphire represents the pinnacle of electric performance; finally achieving the performance that I’ve so long searched for. After painstaking development work, I am able to confirm Lucid Air Sapphire has achieved a satisfactory performance, and I trust the most discerning drivers will agree.”

“Satisfactory,” he says.

The most interesting tidbit in the the sprawling Lucid press release, however, has very little to do with the car, itself. It’s about the choice of “Sapphire” in the name – read it for yourself, below, and see if you see what we see.

“Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance luxury means to Lucid,” it reads, quoting Lucid SVP of Brand and Design, Derek Jenkins. “(The) sapphire is among the most valued gemstones, prized for their brilliance, color, and hardness. Imperial Blue has long been the de facto national color for American motorsports teams engaged in international competitions. As Lucid’s dedicated ultra-high-performance brand, Sapphire references this history while setting new standards for innovation and technology.”

“Among” the most valued gemstones? What’s the most valued gemstone, and is Lucid already planning to one-up this all-electric hyper sedan with a “Diamond” edition if/when Elon straps a SpaceX rocket to the back of a Roadster in an attempt to keep up?

That’s too much for our little minds. In the meantime, we invite you to check out the official launch video, below, then let us know what you think of this ground-bound cruise missile in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

 

Introducing Sapphire: the Pinnacle of Electric Performance

SOURCE | IMAGES: LUCID MOTORS.

AUTHOR: 

JO BORRAS

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