The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X has spent the last few weeks building a reputation as the new king of drag racing. Fresh from high-profile victories against some of the world’s fastest performance cars, including the legendary Bugatti Chiron, many enthusiasts believed the hybrid Corvette was virtually unbeatable. However, that winning streak has now come to an abrupt end.
In a recent video uploaded by DragTimes’ Brooks Weisblat in collaboration with Vehicle Virgins, the 1,250-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X faced off against the all-electric Lucid Air Sapphire at Apex Motor Club in Arizona. Despite a slight horsepower advantage on paper, the Corvette found itself completely outmatched by the luxury electric sedan.
The Lucid Air Sapphire features a tri-motor all-wheel-drive setup producing 1,234 horsepower. Priced at around $250,000, the Sapphire has become famous for combining supercar-rivaling performance with four-door practicality. The Corvette ZR1X, meanwhile, uses a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 paired with a hybrid system to generate 1,250 horsepower. Weighing approximately 4,100 pounds and equipped with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive, the ZR1X carries a price tag of roughly $231,000.
The pair lined up for three quarter-mile drag races and one rolling race. From the very first launch, the Lucid demonstrated the brutal advantage of instant electric torque. The Sapphire jumped ahead immediately and steadily increased its lead throughout the run.
Race one produced an impressive 8.99-second quarter-mile pass for the Lucid Air Sapphire at 154.37 mph. The sedan also recorded a 0-60 mph sprint in just 2.00 seconds, covered the eighth mile in 5.83 seconds at 124.42 mph, completed 60-130 mph in 4.2 seconds, and blasted from 100-150 mph in only 4.42 seconds.
The second drag race told a similar story. Once again, the Lucid launched hard and rapidly opened a significant gap on the Corvette. Following the run, the ZR1X driver complained of excessive wheelspin, which appeared to hamper the car’s performance.
The third race delivered more of the same. The Lucid surged ahead from the start and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of the Corvette for a third consecutive victory.
Even the rolling race failed to reverse the outcome. Although the Corvette briefly gained an early advantage, the Lucid quickly reeled it in before pulling ahead near the finish line. When the dust settled, the scoreboard read four wins for the Lucid Air Sapphire and zero for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, a result few enthusiasts would have predicted.
