Lucid Air Sapphire vs. Tesla Model S Plaid: Not Even Near
In terms of straight-line speed, few production vehicles can rival the Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire, but how do they compare side by side? In the most recent DragTimes video, these two swift sedans compete head-to-head in a quarter-mile race to see who can make the fastest production sedan on the globe.
This video is a follow-up to the Lucid acceleration footage that we previously saw on April 21, in which video presenter Brooks used Michelin street tires to achieve 60 mph in 1.77 seconds. At Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, the car was indeed on a highly groomed surface, but that’s pretty much the only way to fully utilize the 1,234 horsepower of the Air Sapphire.
This gets us to those above four-door super sedan matchups. While still impressive on any scale, the Model S Plaid’s 1,020 horsepower is less than that of the Sapphire. It has previously achieved quarter-mile passes in nine seconds, but that won’t be sufficient to defeat the Sapphire. Brooks will need to have a flawless launch in the Plaid to secure a legitimate win. For the Tesla crowd, it’s game over if the Lucid sapphire driver also gets the start right.
We believe Brooks red-lighted on the first run because he knew full well that this was the case. The other driver wins by default even though the Model S crosses the finish line first due to an early launch. Ironically, the Model S wins the race technically on the second run when the Lucid driver beats the gun by running a red light. At last, for the third and final race, both drivers launch flawlessly. And it’s a long way off.
All the way down the track, the Lucid gradually gains ground on the Plaid, passing the finish line at 153 mph in 8.96 seconds. At 9.28 seconds and 149 mph, the Tesla is not far behind, but it is still several vehicle widths away.
Is there a car in production that has more speed than the Sapphire? Maybe it’s time for Lucid and Rimac Nevera to square off.
