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Flash Drive: Lucid Air Dream Edition R

A Quick Drive and More Tech Announcements

The ride was short, but provided the essentials—time split between the driver’s seat and the spacious back seat, the two defining spaces in the Lucid Air, the latest luxury electric car to arrive on the market.

This was a pre-production Dream Edition Range model, the actual car used by Lucid execs and Motor Trend magazine staff to demonstrate the car’s range by driving from LA to SF on a single charge. Customer cars are now flowing off the production lines at Lucid’s Arizona factory, so real world test drives are coming soon. Consider this a quick preview.

Lucid Air Dream Edition — **Compact outside; spacious inside**

Quick is the operative word. Lucid’s two motors and 966 horsepower (in the Range model; the Performance version boasts more than 1,000 horsepower) move the Air smoothly and swiftly to the maximum speed allowed on any road. Road feel is solid and my relatively low-speed run barely teased the potential out of the car.

That’s from the front seat. The ride in back is another world. It’s designed for comfort, part of the car’s goal of making a market in China, where chauffeured high end cars (the initial Lucid models will retail for more than $160,000) are relatively common. Lucid makes a point of the Air having a full-size car’s interior packaged in a midsize car’s exterior. That design sleight of hand, made possible by an electric car’s flat floor reduced need for engine space, is evidently in the spacious leg and headroom.

An additional comment I would add is that the Lucid presents itself as a traditional luxury with full instrumentation in front of the driver and auxiliary controls and information on a hidden tablet that can be summoned with a quick touch. The trim pieces have all the right look and feel to impart to the buyer that he/she has purchased a six-figure car.

One feature struck me as particularly distinctive. While panoramic glass rooms are becoming quite common in the automotive community, the Lucid takes a slightly different approach to the idea. The sweep of the glass from the touchdown point on the hood id uninterrupted (other than by two seemingly floating sun visors) until it reaches a crossbar above and slightly behind the driver. It made for an expansive view of the exterior and enhanced the spacious feeling of the car’s interior.

More Tech

The battleground for the next round of EVs (the Lucid is only one of a dozen either just introduced or coming soon) has numerous fronts. Lucid has addressed two of those with its 1,000+ horsepower performance model and its companion 528-mile range model. The third area, another one in which Tesla has set the bar, is advanced driver assistance technology (ADAS).

The week after my brief test drive Lucid Group announced details on its DreamDrive driver assistance platform, a suite of technologies that will be standard on the high-end models like the Dream Edition I drove and optional on other models. Like Tesla’s misnamed Autopilot, it’s designed to allow hands-free driving under certain conditions. Unlike Tesla, which appears to be moving to a completely camera-based system, Lucid’s systems uses 32 on-board sensors, including the first use of lidar on a production vehicle.

Lucid Air DreamDrive — **Surrounded by sensors**

The extensive variety of sensors will allow Lucid to offer more than 30 driver-assistance features, including collision avoidance, Traffic Jam assist and Highway Assist.

The sensors feeding the system include 14 visible-light cameras, five radar units, four surround view cameras, ultrasonic sensors around the vehicle’s exterior and a solid-state lidar sensor. Lucid describes the ultimate system, which will be able to grow in capability via over-the-air software updates, as an “invisible co-pilot.”

The DreamDrive system relies on the car’s proprietary on-board Ethernet Ring to enable quick response and will use the Lucid Air’s 21-speaker audio system to deliver directional alerts while presenting information on the graphic display.

Story by Michael Coates. Photos courtesy of Lucid Group.

More Lucid News:

News: Range Milestones Hit by Lucid

Feature: Lucid’s Studio Approach to Sales

News: Lucid Finally Unveils the Whole Air Package

News: Lucid Announces 500+ Mile Range

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Gulfstream Delivers 100th G500

Private Aviation is reaching new heights

In just two decades the notion of flying commercial has gone from nostalgic to traumatic. Seeing unprecedented demand for their Symmetry Flight Deck and the comfortable cabins, Gulfstream has delivered the 100th example of the G500 & G600 class.

The G500 was unveiled in 2018 with its big brother G600 following the next year. Their rigorous flight-test schedule went beyond what the industry was expecting, and far beyond what the FAA needed to give it a perfect rating. They embarked on a world tour of 22 cities that spanned over 130,000 nautical miles. More than 60-speed records are held between the two models, which have amassed more than 25,000 hours and 13,000 landings.

The cabin is unlike anything you have experienced before. Touchscreens are within reach of every seat, as the world passes under 14 panoramic windows. Because the air is never recirculated, you will breathe easy because it is pressurized to a lower altitude than competitors and much lower than commercial aircraft. We have several great options for private aviation, so tell us your best Gulfstream experience in the comments below.

Image (C) Gulfstream Aerospace

Bugatti Celebrates 300th Chirons & Counting

A major milestone for the masters in Molsheim

To everyone that said it couldn’t be done, Bugatti is celebrating 300 Chirons and counting. This sparkling new machine is a Chiron Pur Sport finished in Nocturne. Accents of gray carbon and gunmetal make it unique among this limited run of 60 cars.

Each Chiron Pur Sport carries a base price of 3 million euros or roughly 3.5 million dollars before any customization. For that, you will have 1,500 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque along with suspension tuned for the track. Trading off a bit of top speed for acceleration, the gear ratios are 15% closer to keep all four turbos happy. What this equates to is reaching 62 mph in 2.3 seconds, 135 mph in 5.5 seconds, and you will be at 186 mph in 12 seconds flat.

It is hard to believe the Chiron is now middle-aged. The manufacturer has repeatedly affirmed that it will be their model without electrification, so perhaps that’s one reason our dealers are staying busy. To see what separates the Chiron from lesser cars, click the button below.

Images (C) Bugatti

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Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini Meets the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 in Miami

The Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini Edition motorcycle can thank its appearance to the groundbreaking Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 supercar. When designing the new motorcycle, Ducati took various aspects from the supercar and introduced them to the design of the bike in various ways. Take the wheels for example, which mirror the wheels found on the Sian FKP 37.

If the owner of a Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 ever wanted a bike for their garage, the Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini would have to be it as it matches the car so well in so many respects. In fact, you can see how well it looks next to the Lamborghini thanks to Lamborghini Miami who recently had a photoshoot of the two. In the images found in this article, you can see the motorcycle parked right next to the supercar. It’s a pair made in heaven.

These vehicles may be standing still on the showroom floor, but if they were opened up on the road, both would excite in their own way. Take the Sian FKP 37, which has a hybrid setup that’s mated to a massive 6.5-liter V12 engine. Equally as impressive is the Diavel 1260 Lamborghini which is powered by the 1262 cc Ducati Testastretta DVT. This engine is capable of producing 157 horsepower and 9,500 rpm and 95 lb-ft of torque at 7,500 rpm.

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Pershing to Unveil All-Aluminum 140 in Monaco

Reaching 140 feet is a milestone for any Naval Architect and a skilled shipyard. While their first 140 was an exercise in several metals, Pershing is set to unveil their first all-aluminum 140 in Monaco this weekend. This gorgeous yacht has an ingenious cathodic protection for years of oceangoing pleasure. While the prototype had a movie theater, the owner commissioned this ship to have a full-width bedroom accessed by a private lounge. Piero Ferrari, head of the Ferretti Group worked with architect Fulvio De Simoni for over a year to finalize the details. Here is what it takes to build an aluminum yacht:

Three fold-out sides make a nice beach for tanning and an easy way to moor tenders and PWC’s. It is the first-all aluminum ship by Ferretti’s Super Yacht Yard at Ancona. The Ferretti Group Private Preview is by invitation only from Sunday to Tuesday in Monaco. Literally making waves around the world, their third keel is already laid, with the shipyard planning to launch next spring. Click the button below to learn more and stay with us for all your luxury yachting news.

Ferrari Announces Customer Race Days at Barcelona

For those of us privileged to own a Ferrari Formula 1 or XX car, Barcelona is the place to be. This weekend, factory drivers and F1 team members will invade the historic track along with the complete lineup of the XX series. For a quick refresher, the original FXX is a racing version of the 2004 Ferrari Enzo that offers 789 horsepower with a featherweight of only 2,546 lbs. It was surpassed by the FXX Evo, which reduced drag while offering 848 horsepower.

Next was the 2010 Ferrari 599XX. Based on the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO, it is the only XX series car to have a V12 up front, so many consider it the grand finale of Ferrari’s traditional race cars. Two massive fans in the trunk kept the car glued to the track while it sent 720 horsepower to the ground. Downforce was measured at 1,389 lbs at 186 mph, and it reaches 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. Further development yielded the 599XX Evo, which offered 730 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque along with losing 77 lbs in weight. It was the first XX car to have active aerodynamics.

The latest XX cars are loosely based on the 2015 LaFerrari. Since the hypercar uses the KERS system to store energy, the FXX-K offers 1,036 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. It weighs 2,568 lbs and has 1,190 lbs of downforce. Like the others, improvements were made to add 23% more downforce and remove 198 lbs from the chassis. This became the FXX-K Evo, the meanest machine Maranello has ever built. Owners who participate in these events can opt to share telemetry with Ferrari, as the data is used to build their next generation of hypercars.

How do you purchase an XX car? You must have an outstanding history of buying Ferrari’s most expensive models along with an impressive collection. Only then, they might offer one to you. They are not street legal by any means, but we have plenty of Ferraris you can enjoy without needing a helmet and fire suit. Click the links above or the button below for great incentives from our dealers.

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Lamborghini Museum Reopens With Sian Roadster Front & Center

Fans of the Raging Bull rejoice. The Lamborghini Museum of Technologies (MUDETEC) reopens today. Their latest achievement is the Sian Roadster, and it will be on display until Sunday evening. If you are planning a trip to Sant’Agata Bolognese, the facility will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only with advanced booking. This is to make sure the patrons are protected from the virus, and there will be disinfection spaces available to all guests.

Lamborghini Sian Explained by Chief Technical Officer

Once inside, you will be treated to a journey of the brand’s aesthetic and engineering innovations over the past 57 years. Starting with the 350 GT, you will see prototypes of the Miura, Countach, LM002, Centenario, and the Aventador SVJ. Other exhibits include their foray into Forged Composites, Active Aerodynamics, all-wheel drive, and the Human-Machine Interface. While it would be worth the trip, we can empathize if the notion of traveling is unsettling currently. That’s why our dealers have amazing displays without the need for a passport. Click the button below to find one near you and stay with us for all your Lamborghini news.

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Richard Branson Selling $500m Worth of Virgin Galactic Shares

If you’re looking to own a piece of space travel, now may be your chance. According to The Guardian, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group sent a statement to the New York Stock Exchange saying they intend on selling 25m shares. These shares account for over a fifth of Branson’s stake in Virgin Galactic and the total value was worth around $500m when the pre-announcement price of one of the shares is taken into account– $20. The expected $400m that Virgin Group raises from the selling of these shares will help support the group while the remaining money will go to Aabor, an Abu Dhabi investment fund. Virgin Group has been hit hard during the ongoing pandemic, with Virgin Atlantic taking a brunt of the damage. Virgin Group will use some of the raised funds to help prop up Virgin Atlantic.

Source: TheGuardian.com

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