Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT revealed with Borla “exhaust”
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT gets the Shelby treatment
Mention the word Shelby to any auto enthusiast and most will immediately think of souped-up Mustangs, the Shelby Cobra, and of course, the man behind it all, the late Carroll Shelby.
Today, the company that bears his name continues to crank out supercharged Mustangs that are not only fast on the straights but can also take on the corners. But did you know that they're now also into electric vehicles (EVs)?
Say hello to the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT, and it's the company's first foray into tuning a production EV. Built to honor what would have been Carroll Shelby's 100th birthday, this special edition Mustang Mach-E gets more than just a styling upgrade.
Using a Mustang Mach-E GT as a base, this electrified Shelby is lighter and gets a handling upgrade. For starters, the Mach-E GT gets more lightweight carbon fiber components for the hood, grille, front splitter, side cladding, and side mirror caps. Other exterior upgrades include racing stripes and Shelby badging inside and out to remind everyone this is not an ordinary Mustang Mach-E.
To give it better handling, Shelby dropped its ride height by an inch which complements the lighter curb weight thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber components. For Vince LaViolette, vice president of operations at Shelby American, lowering the SUV and reducing its weight helps the vehicle have better stability and enhanced aerodynamics.
But what is perhaps the biggest upgrade found in the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT is a Borla Active Performance Sound System. While EVs are deceptively quick, they lack the signature V8 grunt that most Shelby vehicles have. This is why Shelby decided to install one for the EV. Using a proprietary algorithm with state-of-the-art audio processing and amplification technology, the sound system uses real-time data from the EV's computer in order to generate a realistic ICE soundtrack to match the electric motors' performance.
“Carroll Shelby actively pursued opportunities to expand worldwide, and that philosophy continues to drive us today. 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,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American.
Only 100 examples of the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT will be available globally. But don't expect any of them to be available in North America or elsewhere around the world. Instead, Shelby American said that they will be offering them only to the European market. Why? Well, unlike its home market, the tuning house said that Europe is adopting EVs at a faster rate.
“We elected to initially offer the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT only in Europe because sales of EVs are growing much more rapidly there than in the USA. And from 2016 to 2021, the number of public EV charging stations increased by 431 percent across Europe. It just makes good business sense for Shelby American,” said Aaron Shelby, Board Member of Carroll Shelby International and grandson of the founder.
