Born In America
American performance cars may not carry the same flashy and exotic reputation as the likes of the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, but they’re just as serious when it comes to speed. Chevrolet and Ford have recently gone toe-to-toe at the Nürburgring, posting lap times alongside some of the best from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
Now, MotorTrend has brought together some of America’s quickest performance vehicles for a drag race at March Air Reserve Base in California, coinciding with the country’s 250th anniversary year. The lineup included the Czinger 21C V Max, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, Ford Mustang GTD, and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, as well as all-electric contenders such as the Lucid Air Sapphire, TeslaCybertruck Cyberbeast, Tesla Model 3 Performance, and Rivian R1T Quad.
The Ultimate Starting Grid
Both the Czinger 21C V Max and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X entered the race with the most power at 1,250 hp, followed by the Lucid Air Sapphire at 1,234 hp. The least powerful contender on paper was the Tesla Model 3 Performance at 510 hp, making a Model S Plaid seem like a more fitting entrant. However, the publication noted that the Model S already ended production, leaving the Model 3 and Cybertruck to represent the brand.
EVs have already made a habit of embarrassing combustion cars in drag races. The question was whether that would still happen with America’s heavy hitters lined up together.
Well, spoiler alert: yes. The Lucid Air Sapphire came out on top with a quarter-mile run of 9.14 seconds at 153.2 mph, beating the hybridized Czinger 21C V Max at 9.23 seconds. The hybridized Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X took third at 9.36 seconds, ahead of the Rivian R1T Quad at 10.45 seconds, Ford Mustang GTD at 10.47 seconds, Tesla Cybertruck at 10.97 seconds, Tesla Model 3 Performance at 11.11 seconds, and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing at 11.66 seconds.
Stretching Their Legs
The top five went for another round, but this time, the runway length was extended to half a mile. That reduced the launch advantage of the EVs and gave higher-top-speed machines more room to stretch. The Czinger 21C V Max took advantage of the longer run and won with a time of 14.40 seconds at 187.9 mph, finishing 0.10 second ahead of the Lucid Air Sapphire. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X took third at 14.70 seconds, followed by the Ford Mustang GTD at 16.50 seconds and the Rivian R1T Quad at 17.35 seconds.
There are too many variables – such as tire conditions and driver reaction times – to treat this as a definitive ranking of each contender’s overall performance, so it is better viewed as a fun showcase of modern American horsepower during the country’s 250th anniversary year. A Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 would have raised the stakes, but as mentioned, the field was limited to active-production cars.
