Lucid Sapphire - Exclusive First Drive!

Watch out – is it a monster?! First drive aboard Lucid’s pre production, high performance Sapphire Model that was revealed at Pebble Beach a few ago.

It’s the most powerful sedan ever made and showcases the latest and greatest in Electric Vehicle technology. The main difference between this and the ‘standard’ Lucid Air GTP that I ripped up the hill at Goodwood, is that the Sapphire has three electric motors instead of two to produce a combined power output of approx 1200 bhp.

Each motor is actually capable of thumping out 570bhp, so the sum of the parts exceeds the output. In part that’s because you can only draw so much power through the batteries before they overheat. Lucid have developed a lot of efficiency in that area through their years of development in Formula E which has really paid off.

To put that power to the pavement, the Sapphire gets bigger and wider and grippier tyres from Michelin, more downforce, colossal brakes and stiffer suspension to cope with the loads. The result is a complete package that is surprisingly docile to drive – I was really able to unleash its full power without resorting to any real ninja skills.

That said its extremely fast and will detach your kidneys if they aren’t securely fastened. I was really impressed through the bombhole, as was my passenger, where the car just digs in and goes.

I had some candid conversations with the Lucid’s CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. Man is he passionate about driving and driver engagement. He is totally committed to making these machines respond intuitively to the human touch and although I’m not at liberty to divulge the performance statistics... lets just say that er.. it can do things that are beyond an F1 car..

I hope you enjoy the film and thanking Lucid for trusting me with such a special launch that was kept tightly under wraps until the last minute. Apparently there’s an EV arms race – more power to the consumer. And range.. :)