Shelby American and the Ford Mustang nameplate go hand-in-hand. Naturally, that affinity led Shelby to make a go-fast machine out of a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, though that particular vehicle isn’t a gas-guzzling, internal combustion engine (ICE) powered muscle car like its counterparts. That didn’t stop the crew from turning the all-electric crossover into a go-fast machine – one that Ford Authority had the opportunity to see in person back in 2022 – and in a recent video from Mach-E Vlog on YouTube, the crew talks about just what went into making the Ford Shelby Mustang Mach-E concept.
The 2021 Ford Shelby Mustang Mach-E is shown in the shop at the Shelby Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Shelby doesn’t currently build any electric vehicle en masse – at least not for the American market – that doesn’t mean it’s giving up on its Mach-E passion project. Despite that fact that it’s a pure battery electric model, the Mustang Mach-E still shares a bit of tech with its ICE powered brethren, such as the need for a radiator and a proper cooling system.
Airflow was a challenge when building the Ford Shelby Mustang Mach-E. Hence its massive hood scoop, which helps redirect airflow and prevent it from lifting the electric crossover’s front end at speed. The Shelby team also wasn’t interested in eliminating the electric crossover’s front end, striving to make it look as much like a Mustang as they could while borrowing cues from the Shelby line.
Another challenge reared up when the crew was examining how to make the Mustang Mach-E more powerful than its stock counterparts, but that’s really not possible, leaving them to work with what the electric crossover offers right off the assembly line. Until there’s a way to coax more power out of it than the stock Mustang Mach-E, this model will remain a concept.
“Unless what we develop is over and above anything that’s out there, we won’t bring it to market,” said Vince LaViolette, vice president of Shelby American. “We’ll never take a car and make it look pretty and still have the performance as the standard car would have. We’re always looking at different ways to do things.”
Comments
Nice ride, but being the owner of an actual Mustang, Ford needs to get rid of such name on this vehicle, just call it a Mach E, and replace Mustang emblems with Mach E emblems. If/When Ford comes out with an actual electric Mustang then call it a Mustang Mach E, like we currently have a Mustang Mach 1. Just saying, and I have heard the same comment from many actual Mustang owners.
I completely agree