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Ford and RTR didn’t design the Mustang Mach-E 1400 just to turn the tires into smoke, but that’s something this 1,400-hp electric vehicle can do very well.
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It is a technology demonstrator that uses seven electric motors to go really fast in a straight line, in the corners or even in a drift.
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As the name suggests, it is based on the upcoming Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle, which will go into production this year.
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Instead of being range-optimized, the Mach-E 1400 has been developed to do this for an hour, then recharge for an hour, then re-do it for another hour.
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That massive rear wing is just one of the aerodynamic elements that gives this EV more than a ton of downforce at 160 mph.
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It started with a blank Mustang Mach-E body.
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Then RTR and Ford added the high downforce bits. They are mostly made of carbon fiber, but the hood is made of vegetable fibers.
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OK, it’s much more stripped down than the Mustang Mach-E we rode last year, but it uses the same digital instrument display and infotainment display.
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The electronic control components are visible but are enclosed in perspex.
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It even has a couple of rear seats.
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Two weeks ago, a video appeared on YouTube showing a very loud and very fast EV test somewhere in North Carolina. It was debated whether these were images of real spies or guerilla marketing from Ford’s public relations department, as the EV looked a lot like the next Mustang Mach-E. That question was clarified on Tuesday when the Blue Oval revealed the single EV in question. It’s called the Mustang Mach-E 1400, and it’s completely insane.
Readers with fond memories may recall that in April we received news of a 1,400 horsepower electric Ford Mustang built for the drag strip. The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 and Mustang Mach-E 1400 have similar names, and they are both powered by electricity. But there, the similarities end. The previous car was built for the drag strip, but the Mustang Mach-E 1400 doesn’t just want to go fast in a straight line, as the multitude of carbon fiber wings and dive planes make it pretty clear.
The Machng E-1400 Mustang was developed by Ford Performance and RTR, a customization shop owned by Vaughn Gittin Jr. who built the Ken Block Hoonicorn Mustang, among other machines. Gittin Jr. is a professional drifter, and the Mustang Mach-E 1400 can definitely drift, going sideways and making your tires smoke with the best of them. But if you want to chase lap records or a quarter mile instead, it will, too, requiring only a few suspension adjustments, such as switching to shorter control arms that allow for less extreme steering angles.
“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on power and torque. This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except maybe a magnetic roller coaster,” said Gittin Jr.
Seven engines?
In this case, it is a roller coaster driven not by the force of gravity but by seven Yasa P400 R electric motors. Three of them are attached to the front differential, and the remaining four power the rear differential, each with a single axle. transmission. (Chevrolet used a similar approach on a much less extreme unique electrical system built for SEMA in 2019.) At least, that’s the default setting; Ford says the Mach-E 1400 can also be operated in front or rear-wheel drive modes, as well as all-wheel drive.
The engines are powered by a 56.8kWh battery that uses nickel-manganese-cobalt cell chemistry. As with other high-performance electric vehicles, these are optimized for power density rather than energy density – it’s all about getting as much power to the engines as fast as possible, without getting a mile or two of additional scope. But Ford has designed the package to cool down during charging so that downtime between races is kept to a minimum: According to our friend Bozi on Road and Track, one requirement was one hour of continuous use followed by one hour of charges at high speed, then another hour of continuous use.
Likewise, the exterior of the Mustang Mach-E 1400 is all about going fast in the corners, not going long distances between loads. Ford hasn’t disclosed a drag coefficient, but with 2,300 lbs of downforce at 160 mph (1,043 kg at 258 km / h) you can expect it to be significantly higher than the production Mustang Mach-E.
“Now is the perfect time to take advantage of electric technology, learn from it and apply it to our line. Mustang Mach-E will be fun to drive, like any previous Mustang, but Mustang Mach-E 1400 is completely crazy, thanks to the efforts Ford Performance and RTR, “said Ron Heiser, chief program engineer at Mustang Mach-E.
Hopefully we might even experience madness at some point; Like the equally insane Renault Espace F1, the Mustang Mach-E 1400 has room for three passengers inside its caged interior.
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