Ford Unleashes 1,400-Horsepower All-Electric Mustang Mach-E Prototype
No, that’s not a typo. To hype up the Mustang Mach-E, Ford Performance and tuner RTR have teamed up to create a monstrously powerful one-off of the car, dubbed Mustang Mach-E 1400. As the name implies, it produces 1,400 electric ponies.
Okay, there are hypercars that produce that much power—or more—in 2020. So maybe that figure alone isn’t exactly sending your jaw floor-wards. How about seven motors? Yes, the 1400 uses a septet of electric motors, with a trio connected to the front axle and four out back. That allows it to send power to either or both ends at any time. An 800-horsepower rear drive mode sounds like a laugh and a half, though we feel bad for any tires subjected to the 600-horsepower front-drive mode.
How has Ford fit so many motors in the Mach-E? According to the American company itself, they’re stacked “pancake-style, with a single driveshaft connecting them to the differentials.” The setup is incredibly adjustable, capable of handling drag strip or gymkhana duties. Different front control arms as well as steering changes make the mega Mach-E more drift-ready too.
And then there’s the sound. Ford put together a fun little video to show off the 1400’s abilities which you can check out just below. It’s an impressive vehicle, but we can’t get that unique noise out of our heads:
What started as the same body-in-white as the upcoming road car now has an extreme bodykit attached. There are ample air intakes ahead of the rear wheels and a positively enormous rear wing. Carbon fiber dive planes pepper the nose, and Ford has used organic composite fibers for the hood. All told the Mach-E is targeting over 2,300 lb of downforce at 160 mph.
The 1400’s battery is a relatively small 56.8 kWh unit using nickel-manganese-cobalt cell chemistry. The pouch-cell design was chosen for high performance and maximum discharge rate—it’s a big ask to get power to all seven motors effectively. Ford and RTR also put a lot of time into the cooling system for the Mach-E’s drivetrain, which chills the battery during charging to minimize the time between runs.
Speaking of performing, Ford has said the Mach-E 1400 will debut soon at a NASCAR race. The regular Mustang Mach-E, one of 0ur most anticipated vehicles of 2020, will start showing up in dealers before the end of the year.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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