A while back Ford announced that its new, battery powered SUV would be called the Mustang Mach-E (you can read more about the new model here). It is a bit of a gamble to give an electric SUV the same name as your world famous muscle car, something Ford is probably well aware of. Not to erode the decades of great brand value that the Mustang badge represents Ford has created the Mustang Mach-E 1400 prototype.

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The Mustang Mach-E 1400 was built by Ford Performance and RTR to demonstrate the performance possibilities of electric drivetrains. The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is the result of 10 000 hours of collaboration by Ford Performance and RTR. It is the second such project after the 1 000 kW electric Mustang drag car, which you can read about here.

Ford Mustang Performance family

Variable drivetrain options

This rolling test-bed is powered by seven motors that deliver a combined 1 045 kW. Three motors are attached to the front differential and four are attached to the rear with a single driveshaft connecting them to the differentials. Power delivery to the diffs is adjustable to set the car up for everything from rear-wheel-, to all-wheel- to front-wheel drive. Power delivery can be split evenly between front and rear, or completely to one or the other.

Click here to read our Mustang Convertible driving review.

“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.”

Even though the car starts with a non-racy SUV shape the team has optimised the aerodynamics for cooling and downforce, the latter coming from a front splitter, dive planes and a huge rear wing. Downforce is targeted at more than 1 000 kg at 257 km/h. Mustang Mach-E 1400 features Brembo brakes and a hydraulic handbrake for drifting that integrates with the electronics to shut off power to the rear motors.

In his own words

“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr (watch him drift the Nurburgring in this video), RTR Vehicles founder. “This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.”