So, basically, it sounds like a Transformer--well, minus the transforming noises. (And, dang, it looks impressive.)
Following in the footsteps of the electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, Ford has teamed up with Mustang aftermarket parts builder RTR Vehicles to build the Mustang Mach-E 1400.
Ford says that this one-off, highly modified Mach-E is "designed to challenge perceptions of what electric vehicles can do with performance tuning and advanced technology." Based on some of the numbers provided, we'd say that they have a good chance of accomplishing that: "1400 peak horsepower and more than 2300 lb. of downforce at 160 mph."
In the video below, drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. pilots the Mach-E through a series of "tests" against other racing disciplines that Ford participates in, including crowd favorites Ken Block in his Version 2 Hoonicorn Mustang and Joey Logano in a Mustang NASCAR stock car.
Powering the Mach-E 1400 is a 56.8-kilowatt-hour battery, comprised of nickel manganese cobalt cells, that sends power to the wheels through seven motors.
The release also points out that the Mustang Mach-E 1400 will debut "at a NASCAR race soon," but doesn't provide anything more specific than that.
Read the full release below:
DEARBORN, Mich., July 21, 2020 – Peak horsepower: 1,400 – and make it electric.
Mission accomplished: Ford introduces Mustang Mach-E 1400, an all-electric road rocket that shows just how much performance can be harnessed without using a drop of gas. Coming hot on the heels of the 1,400-horsepower all-electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, this one-off Mustang Mach-E with its seven electric motors and high downforce is ready for the track, drag strip or gymkhana course – anywhere it can show how electric propulsion promises extreme Mustang performance. Watch here to see the all-electric prototype in action.
Developed in collaboration with RTR and built off a Mustang Mach-E GT body-in-white, the prototype targets 1,400 peak horsepower. The chassis and powertrain work together for a multitude of setups offering capability unlike any other vehicle.
“Now is the perfect time to leverage electric technology, learn from it, and apply it to our lineup,” said Ron Heiser, chief program engineer, Mustang Mach-E. “Mustang Mach-E is going to be fun to drive, just like every other Mustang before it, but Mustang Mach-E 1400 is completely insane, thanks to the efforts of Ford Performance and RTR.”
The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is the result of 10,000 hours of collaboration by Ford Performance and RTR aimed at bridging the gap between what an electric vehicle can do and what customers tend to believe it can do.
“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr., RTR Vehicles founder, motorsports champion and professional fun-haver. “This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.”
Mustang Mach-E 1400 has taken shape without rules. The Ford design team and RTR used many of the same tools Ford uses for its race cars and production programs. Aerodynamics are optimized for shape and location, with a focus on cooling ducts, front splitter, dive planes and rear wing.
Mustang Mach-E 1400 has seven motors – five more than even Mustang Mach-E GT. Three are attached to the front differential and four are attached to the rear in pancake style, with a single driveshaft connecting them to the differentials, which have a huge range of adjustability to set the car up for everything from drifting to high-speed track racing.
“The challenge was controlling the extreme levels of power provided by the seven motors,” said Mark Rushbrook, motorsports director, Ford Performance. “Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a showcase of the art of the possible with an electric vehicle.”
The chassis and powertrain are set up to allow the team to investigate different layouts and their effects on energy consumption and performance, including rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. Drift and track setups have completely different front end configurations like control arms and steering changes to allow for extreme steering angles in drifting. Power delivery can be split evenly between front and rear, or completely to one or the other. Downforce is targeted at more than 2,300 lb. at 160 mph.
The 56.8-kilowatt-hour battery (installed) is made up of nickel manganese cobalt pouch cells for ultra-high performance and high discharge rate. The battery system is designed to be cooled during charging using a di-electric coolant, decreasing the time needed between runs.
An electronic brake booster is integrated to allow series regenerative braking combined with ABS and stability control to optimize the braking system. Mustang Mach-E 1400 features Brembo™ brakes, like the Mustang GT4 race car, and a hydraulic handbrake system designed for drifting that integrates with the powertrain controls to enable the ability to shut off power to the rear motors.
Mustang Mach-E 1400, which is set to debut at a NASCAR race soon, serves as a test bed for new materials. The hood is made of organic composite fibers, a lightweight alternative to the carbon fiber that comprises the rest of the vehicle.
Ford is investing more than $11.5 billion in electric vehicles worldwide, with the first global vehicle, Mustang Mach-E, available to order here now. The all-electric Mustang Mach-E starts hitting the streets in the U.S. at the end of this year.
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So, basically, it sounds like a Transformer--well, minus the transforming noises. (And, dang, it looks impressive.)
It's like somebody took an anti-shrink-ray to a new brushless R/C car. That looks wild!
Raw video of this thing testing if you want to hear it without any background music or noise from other cars:
Funny that they decided to keep the touch screen controller in the interior.
As cool as that picture is, I'd choose any of those V8 Mustangs over the MachE every time.
I get it, it is sacrilege to call it a Mustang, but its a damn cool vehicle nonetheless. And Ken Block continues to have the coolest job ever.
Wow, that sounds like E36 M3.
I hope the production version doesn't sound like that. It's bad enough listening to the straight piped GTs around here. That is infinitely worse.
I watched some of the video, but my ears were begging for mercy, do I stopped it.
My two thoughts:
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:Wow, that sounds like E36 M3.
I hope the production version doesn't sound like that. It's bad enough listening to the straight piped GTs around here. That is infinitely worse.
I'd be shocked if the production version is anywhere as loud as this. This one has 7 electric motors (Can be 100% FWD, 100% RWD, or 50/50 AWD). The production car has 1 or two motors depending on trim level and a few hundred more lbs of sound deadening and window glass. Obviously the concern for NVH is much higher on a production car too.
Yeah, the sound is a bit much, but it's pretty dang impressive performance-wise. And, I've said it before and I'll say it again: wide fenders and racing parts can make any car cool.
I am simultaneously excited about the future of electric....and fearful of a world populated by angry dental drills screaming by at eleventy-billion RPM.
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