By:  Serach Nissim

Saks Fifth Avenue’s Manhattan flagship store did more than decorate the store for the holiday season.

As reported by the NY Post, Saks created a makeshift crane and removed the store’s century-old brass doors so it can lower an electric car into its posh jewelry department.  The $250,000 Lucid Air Sapphire will be on display for the rest of the holiday season at the iconic store’s below street level jewelry department, known as The Vault.  The car is one is the most expensive electric cars in the world, boasting acceleration to 60 mph in under 2 seconds.  The vehicle features massage seats and 21 speakers.

The Vault, famous for carrying extravagant jewelry from top brands including Chopard, Graff, Hermes and Bulgari, became the center of attention this holiday season, as opposed to the legendary themed windows and holiday light display which usually lures tourists to the department store’s outside windows.  Richard Baker, chief executive of Saks owner Hudson’s Bay, said that on Sunday alone there were over 1,000 shoppers who came in to see the Lucid car.

The aim was to get more of the thousands of holiday visitors who come annually to admire the Fifth Avenue store’s outside holiday display — to come into the store, Baker told the Post.  “We have 10,000 people each day walking outside the store,” Baker said. “And we are in the business of show business.”  He stressed that as online shopping has expanded, the chain continues to go out of its way to be more than a shopping center.  “We are really trying to pivot away from being a store to buy goods,” Baker said. “We want to be at the crossroads of art and fashion.”

Per the Post, on Saturday morning, a semi-truck rolled up outside Saks’ East 50th Street entrance with a NYPD escort. After the store closed for the day at 8 p.m., a team of 35 movers got to work.  Store officials said that the movers had to take off the entrance’s four exterior doors, allowing for a 16-foot passageway. The car was then driven into the store through the posh handbag section.  The glass panels around the escalator bank were removed and a crane was carried inside the store, effectively creating a makeshift freight elevator to lower the luxury vehicle some 28 feet.

The store’s indoor elegant pillars with ornate moldings were utilized to help anchor a metal platform that would lower the car.  The installation process took roughly 14 hours, not including the tow truck which had delivered the car from Lucid’s base in Silicon Valley.  Baker himself, who had come up with the plan together with Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, had spent the night at Saks overseeing the 14-hour move.  “Saks is uniquely prepared to launch and support luxury brands like Lucid,” Baker said, noting that the department chain was open to more such ventures.  Saks has 39 stores, attracting an average of 82,000 visitors daily.

The Lucid Sapphire is the electric car company’s most expensive model, unveiled in August as a “super sports sedan” which can reach a speed of 205 MPH and travel up to 427 miles on a single charge.