by New Corvette ZR1X and Lucid Air Sapphire Show Incredible Speed
Hagerty journalists organized a unique race to compare the real speed of the new legend, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, with the most powerful electric sedan, the Lucid Air Sapphire. High-performance versions of regular cars also joined the competition: the Volkswagen Golf R and the BMW M2 CS.
Chevrolet’s official data on the ZR1X is impressive: acceleration to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds and a quarter mile in 8.675 seconds. However, these figures were obtained on a specially prepared drag strip. Hagerty decided to test what the cars are capable of in conditions closer to real ones, using a straight section of the Willow Springs track.
Unusual Race Format for a Fair Comparison
To level the chances of cars with different power outputs, a clever format was chosen. The powerful Corvette and Lucid, each with 1200 horsepower, started from a standstill. The hot hatchback Golf R, one of the fastest in its class, was given a 300-foot head start, starting behind. Conversely, the rear-wheel-drive BMW M2 CS was placed 300 feet ahead of the main contenders. All three cars could only start moving when the Golf R crossed the starting line for the quarter-mile run.
According to the organizers, this may seem confusing, but such a format provided an excellent race.
By the time the Golf R passed the Corvette and Lucid, it had already accelerated to 67 mph. Despite the large head start, the speedy hatchback failed to maintain the lead. The powerful ZR1X and Air Sapphire quickly caught up and overtook it.
Impressive Results
Both supercars covered the quarter-mile distance in the same time – 9.1 seconds. Their acceleration to 60 mph was also practically identical – about 2.0 seconds, which is an incredible figure for production road cars.
The leader was determined by the maximum speed at the finish line: the electric Lucid Air Sapphire showed 157 mph, while the Corvette ZR1X showed 154 mph. The other participants, despite their speed, lagged significantly behind. The BMW M2 CS posted a time of 11.5 seconds, and the Volkswagen Golf R – 12.5 seconds.
This race clearly demonstrates how much technology has advanced both in the world of internal combustion engines and in electric propulsion. The fact that an electric-powered sedan can compete on equal terms with the most powerful Corvette in history speaks of a new era in the automotive industry. Such competitions also emphasize that official factory figures, while important, do not always fully reflect a car’s behavior in different conditions, and independent testing remains the best way to compare.
