The stakes in the auto industry are constantly being raised. Sometimes, it is by the new entrant, as Lucid Motors has just done. The startup’s Air Sapphire came out tops against the duo of the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in a drag race.
In a competition organized by the YouTube channel Hagerty, the Tesla Model S Plaid (costing $136,000) was pitched against the Lucid Air Sapphire (costing $250,000) and the limited edition Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, costing a whopping $4 million.
The Tesla produces 1,020 hp, while the Air and Bugatti generate 1,200 hp and 1,500 hp, respectively.
A Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 superbike was thrown in for good measure.
The Air clocked a quarter mile in just 9.1 seconds, reaching 156 mph, while the Bugatti took longer at 9.3 seconds at 156 mph. The Model S came third, with 9.3 seconds at 156 mph, the exact timing as the Ducati, which reached 157 mph.
The Air Sapphire, which was an engineering prototype and isn’t expects to begin deliveries until the second half of 2023, might have won the contest, Tesla might still have something up their sleeves to win the war.
The automaker was planning to come out with a Plaid+ variant, but Elon Musk scrapped the high performance car in a tweet saying the Plaid was fast enough. However our sources at the time said the car, with its active aero wing, was only temporarily shelved and was eventually going to be released.
With the Air Sapphire set it come out next year, we might see the Plaid+ reappear soon.
You can watch clips of the races below:
