Ford executives have confirmed that plans are afoot to create a flagship performance version of the Mustang Mach-E under the famous Shelby brand. The Mustang Mach-E Shelby would follow on from the muscular 750bhp Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe and sit above the current range-topper in the recently unveiled Mach-E range, the GT.
Speaking to evo, Ford Performance chief programme engineer Ed Krenz said: ‘I’m looking forward to the challenge of applying the Shelby characteristics to an electric car. The trick for us is the fun-to-drive part, and sustainability in terms of charging. It needs to be capable to go all day on a trackday – you can’t do 20 minutes and then have to charge it all night.’
Ford is intent on making sure the Mach-E lives up to its Mustang branding in terms of the levels of performance on offer and the driving experience. The Shelby variant would be the flagship Mach-E in this regard, pushing the platform towards its limits for road and track driving.
The power output for the current Mustang Mach-E GT model has yet to be confirmed but the car uses the all-wheel drive version of the Mach-E’s powertrain and Ford says it’s targeting a 0-60mph sprint time of under 4sec with a 250-mile range. With the mid-spec Mach-E Extended Range models packing 327bhp (and 417lb ft of torque) it’s probably reasonable to expect 350bhp from the GT model and close to 400bhp from the eventual Shelby variant.
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The standard Mustang Mach-E range goes on sale towards the end of 2020 but it will be 2021 at least before the Shelby version emerges, with prices for the car likely to sit around the £65,000 mark.
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