For years, electric vehicles have ruled the drag strip. The 1,234-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire holds the title of quickest-accelerating production car in the world, having already dispatched a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport and a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. Chevrolet thinks the Corvette ZR1X can change that.
In the latest episode of his Ultimate Drag Race Replay series, Hagerty host Jason Cammisa brought both cars to Willow Springs Raceway and ran them on untreated asphalt to find out which is actually quickest without glue on the ground. For perspective, he also included a 523-horsepower BMW M2 CS and a 328-horsepower Volkswagen Golf R, giving each a significant head start. Neither had a chance.
The ZR1X combines the ZR1’s 1,064-horsepower twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 with an electric front motor for a combined 1,250 horsepower. The Lucid counters with a tri-motor setup that adjusts output thousands of times per second for exceptional traction off the line. Cammisa noted that at this power level, the first half of any race is not about horsepower at all. It is about traction management.
Both cars hit 60 mph in 2.0 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 9.1 seconds. The Lucid posted a slightly higher trap speed at 157 mph versus 154 mph for the Corvette, but the ZR1X appeared to cross the finish line first. The result was close enough that the timing equipment struggled to separate them.
Worth noting: the ZR1X ran with the ZTK track package and its large rear wing, which adds drag at high speed. A standard ZR1X without the wing could tip the result more clearly in Chevrolet’s favor.
Watch the full video below.
