- Developed by Ford Performance and RTR Racing
- Produces 1400bhp and 1000kg of downforce
Ford Performance and RTR racing have jointly revealed the new Mustang Mach-E 1400, a one-of-a-kind racing prototype of the electric crossover to showcase their racing and performance prowess. And the numbers are staggering.
We’ll start with the battery pack, which is not so impressive at 56.8kWh. This is down from the standard Mach-E’s 75.7kWh battery pack, yet it feeds seven motors – three on the front axle and four at the rear. And there’s only a single driveshaft in ‘pancake’ style connecting these motors to the differential. As the name suggests, there’s 14000bhp on tap which can be configured depending on whether you want to set a fast lap record or want to go drifting. Yes, the Mach-E 1400 race-car prototype can light up the rear tyres on a gymkhana course.
Delving deep into the technical details, the prototype is based on the Mach-E GT chassis but Ford Performance and RTR have gone to town with the enhancement and reinforcement of the hardware. Close to 10,000 hours have gone into the development and the teams have used the same tools Ford uses for racecars and production programmes.
The configuration can be adjusted for energy consumption – including shifting between RWD, AWD and FWD. Drift and track setups have different front end configurations like control arms and steering changes to allow for extreme steering angles in drifting while splitting power delivery between axles. And with reworked aerodynamics, the prototype produces a downforce of 1,000 kilograms at 257kmph.
Taking about the smaller 56.8kWh battery, it is made up of nickel-manganese-cobalt pouch cells for delivering ‘high discharge rate’ making it suitable for motorsports. Cooling of the battery pack is done by a dielectric coolant, decreasing the time needed between runs. Braking responsibilities are taken care of by Brembo units borrowed from the GT4 race car. A hydraulic handbrake for drifting is also provided with the powertrain control unit to shut off power to the rear motors for those tyre-smoking slides.
On this one-off prototype, the carmaker will also be testing the new hood made of organic composite fibres – a lightweight alternative to the carbon fibre. The Mustang Mach-E 1400 will debut at a Nascar race soon, as it serves as a testbed for new materials.
