Everyone knows the 1,234-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire is extremely quick. And yet, watching it in action never fails to capture attention. A recent DragTimes video takes us to Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida for a couple of passes down the drag strip that, frankly, look a bit boring. But the numbers definitely impress.
Let's consider these numbers: 1.39, 1.77, 5.77, 8.94, and 154.8. In order, these represent (in seconds) the 60-foot time, 0-60 mph time, eighth-mile time, quarter-mile time, and the car's speed at the quarter-mile mark. Those familiar will drag racing already have context for just how insane these numbers are for a street-legal sedan on street-legal tires. For the rest of us, here's some perspective.
The 60-foot time represents the first 60 feet the car travels from the starting line. It's an indicator not just of power, but also traction. Dodge says its drag-focused Challenger Demon 170 can achieve a 1.24-second 60-foot time on race tires, pulling the front wheels off the ground in the process. Full-on pro-stock drag racing cars usually have a 60-foot time of just under a second. Here, we have a 5,300-pound luxury sedan on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires getting very close at 1.39 seconds. Yes, the track surface is prepped, but still, this stat is seriously impressive.
That parlays into the 1.77-second 60-mph time. It's worth noting that number includes a one-foot rollout, which is common when quoting 60-mph times in the auto industry. Without the rollout, the Lucid still hits the benchmark in less than two seconds, clocking 1.93 seconds per the onboard data.
With the accelerator firmly planted, the Air Sapphire passes the eighth-mile mark in 5.77 seconds, already going 123.9 mph. It leads to a quarter-mile time of 8.94 seconds with a trap speed of 154.8 mph. The digitally recorded data is supported by the official timeslip numbers from the track, and a second run with a slightly lower charge on the battery sees the sedan go 8.93 in the quarter.
A Tesla Model S Plaid and a Challenger Demon 170 were also at the track. Videos of side-by-side racing with the Lucid are promised soon. Something tells us they had their work cut out for them.
