Shelby American is best known for its tuned Mustangs and continuation Cobras, and now it has tried its hand at fettling an electric Mustang Mach-E.
The Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT celebrates the 100th anniversary of Carroll Shelby’s birth, and just 100 packages will be produced starting in July.
They’re available to retrofit to privately owned 2021-23 Mustang Mach-E GT SUVs in “select European countries” this year, and Shelby claims the package “offers owners potential collectability”.
It costs €24,900 (A$41,627), not including the base vehicle. A GT in Germany rings up at €86,200 (A$144,101).
Shelby worked on reducing the weight of the electric SUV, while also making it smoother, more distinctively styled, and capable of offering more “auditory appeal”.
To that last point, Shelby has integrated Borla’s Active Performance Sound System, revealed at SEMA last year.
It’s the first production vehicle to use the system, which generates a “hyper-realistic ICE soundtrack” that “perfectly matches the EV motor status and other vehicle dynamics” using a proprietary algorithm.
There’s a carbon-fibre bonnet, splitter, mirror caps and door trims, as well as custom lightweight wheels.
As expected of a Shelby product, there are racing stripes and Shelby badging, while each model also comes with an official Shelby identification number and paid membership to the Team Shelby club.
A handling package sees the Mach-E lowered by over 25mm and performance springs fitted, with the aim of reducing rotating mass and improving stability, but Shelby has made no mention of any extra power.
Ford claims outputs of up to 358kW and 860Nm for the Mustang Mach-E GT, as well as 499km of range on the WLTP cycle.
The company claims it spent a lot of time at the track in EVs to understand their handling dynamics.
Shelby chose Europe for the launch of its fettled Mustang Mach-E as EV sales are growing more rapidly there. It also cited the 431 per cent increase in public EV charging stations between 2016 and 2021.
Ford now offers the Mustang Mach-E in 39 countries, up from 22 in its first year, and has produced over 150,000 examples since launch.
Shelby had previously revealed a concept version of a fettled Mustang Mach-E at SEMA in 2021.
“We’re excited about our first production EV and plan to roll out other electrification programs in the near future,” said Shelby American president Gary Patterson.
“We are already seeking ways to substantially push EV performance, expand the product line and work with partners like rental car companies.
“However, Shelby American continues to also be firmly committed to cars and trucks powered by internal combustion engine.
“We’ll introduce several new models over the next 12 months to keep V8 fans revved up.”
“Carroll Shelby actively pursued opportunities to expand worldwide, and that philosophy continues to drive us today,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American.
“As a visionary, Carroll was an early proponent of exotic materials and the integration of advanced technologies, including electrification. In an interview published by Ford Performance before his passing, Carroll looked forward to electric vehicles.
“The first production Shelby EV fits perfectly into our goal to maintain Shelby American’s position as a leading manufacturer of distinctive, small volume performance vehicles.”
The Mustang Mach-E is finally coming to Australia, and is due here in the fourth quarter of this year in three trim levels with two battery options.
The mid-sized electric crossover first entered production in late 2020.
