Ex-Stig Calls 1,234-HP Lucid Air Sapphire A "Monster" On Track

The 1,234-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire is the world’s most powerful production four-door sedan. The EV boasts incredible performance figures, including offering over 400 miles of range on a single charge, and you can watch Ben Collins, aka The Stig of Top Gear fame, unleash the sedan’s full fury at Sonoma Raceway in the video above. 

Collins called the Air a “Monster” in the video with “Monster power from all four wheels.” It’s a beastly machine weighing over 5,300 pounds, yet it was “nimble.” It had “fantastic” power and “incredible” pickup. It was so good Collins found it hard to believe he was piloting a family sedan. “The performance is ridiculous,” The Stig said.

Gallery: 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire First Drive








The video is short at two-and-a-half minutes as the EV made quick work of the 12-turn, 2.5-mile race track even though it weighs over 5,300 pounds. Its battery pack isn’t light, but Lucid’s engineers worked to ensure it handled well at the limits. Collins said during his lap that things were “in balance” behind the wheel.

The Lucid has no trouble motivating itself and all its heft with the triple-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain setup. One of the motors sits on the front axle, while the other two spin the rear tires. The car produces 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 pound-feet of torque. It has a maximum top speed of 205 miles per hour and can rocket to 60 miles per hour in an eye-watering 1.9 seconds.

A few months ago, the less powerful Lucid Air Dream Performance drag raced a Porsche 911 Turbo S. The two returned the same quarter-mile time of 10.3 seconds, which was astonishing for the radically different machines.

The Air’s incredible performance comes at a steep price – $250,500 – and it’s just not the power that the car offers. Its 118.0-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery can provide up to 427 miles of range on a single charge, besting the Tesla Model S Plaid that has 394 miles.

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