Key Takeaways
- Lucid Motors teases new track-focused Air variant with extreme aerodynamic modifications.
- The upgraded Air Sapphire may be targeting the Porsche Taycan’s Nürburgring record lap time of 7:07.55.
- This variant is to be shown ahead of Monterey Car Week in Torrance, CA.
After blowing away all previous efficiency and range records with its remarkable 2025 Air Pure, California-based Lucid Motors now appears to be preparing something to showcase the more exciting end of electric performance with a much more hardcore take on the already amazing Lucid Air Sapphire. Company CEO Peter Rawlinson had a wide-ranging discussion with CarBuzz at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and he effectively laughed off the likes of Tesla and Porsche – specifically the Model S and Taycan, respectively – taking aim at the best industry. This new variant of the Air looks like the hammer being pulled back in preparation for a shot at the real EV performance benchmark test: the daunting Nürburgring Nordschleife.
2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
- Base MSRP
- $249,000
- Engine
- Electric
- Horsepower
- 1,234 hp
- 0-60 MPH
- 1.89 seconds
- Fuel Economy
- 108/101/105 MPGe
Coming Soon
The specially upgraded EV is wrapped in camouflage, but looking closely at the bottom of the front fender, it appears that this Air Sapphire may have vertical air outlets and a wider body, hinting at a wider track, or at least beefier tires. The front intakes for the air curtains – used to feed brake cooling ducts and to smooth airflow over the front wheelhouses – also appear to have been enlarged. Also evident is a deeper inset for the headlights, so this is certainly a wider car. And is that a carbon fiber roof? It’s difficult to tell from this angle and with this resolution, but we’ll know soon enough.
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Lucid’s post on LinkedIn, where the modified Air was posted, says to mark calendars for exciting events and displays in Torrance, California on August 11. That’s some 330+ miles away from Monterey and a good five days ahead of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on the 16th, but we suspect that this new variant will also make its way around Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week.
This May Be A Track-Only Special Edition… Or A One-Off Prototype
What is certain is that this version will produce a lot more downforce. We can see a vent out of the front hood, much like the epic new Corvette ZR1, and that chin splitter is far deeper, with aggressive wings on each end jutting out beyond the EV’s footprint. Wider side skirts, sticky Michelin rubber, and a large rear wing sitting above a more pronounced ducktail spoiler on the trunk are more hints of high performance, but sadly, we see no evidence of roadworthiness.
UPDATE: 2024/08/08 19:54 EST BY SEBASTIAN CENIZO
Official comment from Lucid Motors, courtesy of Andrew Hussey, Director of Press Communications at Lucid Motors:
“This is a prototype Sapphire vehicle built by our engineering teams as a rolling test-bed. Thus far, there are no plans to put this vehicle into production.”
Both the car dominating the frame and the silver example alongside have roll cages, and the latter has blanked-off wing mirror plates while the former has race seats from Recaro that totally obscure blind spots. Regular seats can be fitted and the roll cage can be removed, but those ankle-cutting splitters have us skeptical, and Lucid’s response confirms that this is not a mainstream vehicle. Regardless, it appears that the Porsche Taycan’s record around the Green Hell may be in jeopardy – someday…