Electrification, sooner or later, is going to reach us all, including those whose history is closely linked to the great V8s. This is the case of Shelby American that surprises the world by presenting the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT.
What sounds like heresy is actually not so much, since Shelby has always had a connection to the mustangregardless of whether this represents taking as a base an electrified SUV manufactured at the Cuautitlán plant, in the State of Mexico.
“This is our first foray into a production EV, so we spend a lot of time testing EVs on the track to understand their unique driving dynamics.”says Vince LaViolette, vice president of operations for Shelby American.
Shelby American notes that as part of the modifications, the height was lowered by two inches, while adding a carbon fiber hood and splitter.as well as lightweight wheels that save four pounds (1.8 kg) each.
Also included are items like carbon fiber wing mirror caps and door trim, racing stripes, special floor mats, Shelby badging and even an official Shelby CSM identification number.
What takes the cake, however, is the Borla Active Performance Sound system, which you didn’t know was an award-winning SEMA for the Best New Product for Electric Vehicle for 2023.
This system consists of a speaker hidden under the rear of the mach-e, which emits engine sounds as if it were a combustion engine, including different operating ranges, including idling, redline cutting, backfiring and more. In the end, there is a hyper-realistic ICE soundtrack.
“The Shelby team focused on reducing weight, making it smoother, providing aural appeal and tailoring styling to increase performance”says Shelby American in a statement.
If you are rubbing your hands and waiting for your arrival in Mexico, we regret to break your illusion, since surprisingly this Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT is only available in Europe.
“We chose to initially offer the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT only in Europe because EV sales are growing much faster there than in the United States.”said Aaron Shelby, a member of the board of directors of Carroll Shelby International.
