The all electric Lucid Air performance had just run the fastest time of any production car at the inaugural Laguna Seca Corkscrew Hillclimb. This is a new sprint event that basically turns the uphill section at Laguna Seca Raceway into a one-way hillclimb.
Lucid’s test driver, Ben Collins, whom you’ll recognize as the original Stig from Top Gear, drove a production-spec Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance through the Corkscrew course in just 38.89 seconds. The Lucid Air GTP was equipped with production-spec wheels, tires and brakes. It was the very same car that took the fastest production car title at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb.
The Lucid Air GTP recorded a faster time than all class competitors, including a production-spec Ferrari LaFerrari. The Air left the Ferrari hypercar for dead by beating it to the finish line by more than five seconds.
What’s the secret to the Lucid Air’s amazing performance? First, the company is headed by Peter Rawlinson. He used to the chief engineer at Lotus, so he knows how to make a car handle, even ones that weighs over 5000 pounds. Second, the weight doesn’t matter to the Air because its two electric motors push out 1050 hp, enough to send the big sedan from zero to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. It also has an EPA-estimated driving range of 446 miles. Lastly, the Air was driven by Stig, and we know that no one can beat the Stig.
On top of taking the title of fastest production car at the event, the Lucid Air GTP also had the fourth quickest time overall among a grid of competitors full of purpose-built race cars that’ve competed in Formula 1 and Le Mans. It makes me wonder how much faster the new Lucid Air Sapphire, with its 1200+ HP, bigger tires and carbon ceramic brakes, can do.