The World's Fastest Sedans — Tesla Plaid, Lucid Air, BMW E39 M5 — Cammisa's Ultimate Drag Race Replay - Hagerty Media

Episode 2 of Cammisa’s Ultimate Drag Race Replay features today’s two quickest accelerating sedans, the 1020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid and the 1111-hp Lucid Air Dream Edition.

But to put their performance into perspective, we use a known benchmark from 20 years ago: the E39-chassis BMW M5. With a 400-hp, 4.9-liter V-8, the E39 was the quickest sedan in the world when it debuted in 2000.

For this drag race, it gets a highway-speed head start: it begins the drag race at 70 mph. Will the Tesla and Lucid catch up within a quarter-mile?

And finally, what about a skydiver? Max Splatterson — a fictional, computer-generated skydiver — begins his race exactly one quarter mile above the finish line. He and the two electric sedans start at exactly the same time. His position during the fall is calculated using math and physics; the cars’ positions are thanks to sheer horsepower.(And a couple other things, like tire grip. And suspension. And aero drag. Whatever. They’re really racing.)