Shelby American, will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of legend, Carroll Shelby’s birth by unveiling the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT, its first production EV, which will only be available in Europe. This comes as big news and perhaps a look at what’s to come for other tuners in the future. With manufacturers shifting their focus to EVs it seems like tuners will follow suit.
The demand will be high, only a total of 100 packages are available to retrofit privately-owned 2021-2023 model year Mustang Mach-E GT SUV’s or be added to a new vehicle by a Shelby American dealer in select European countries within the 2023 calendar year.
“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 Shelby package modifies the electric all-wheel drive vehicle based on the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. The Shelby team focused on reducing weight, making it smoother, providing auditory appeal and tailoring the styling to increase performance.
“In 2021, we introduced a Shelby concept version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E to gauge public interest,” said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “The reaction was very positive, especially with international enthusiasts. We developed our first production version of the vehicle based on that response. The Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT expands our menu of options with an EV for European enthusiasts.”
Many countries are moving toward electrification and the global EV market has experienced exponential growth over the last decade. Global sales of the electric cars increased by around 60 percent in 2022, surpassing 10 million for the first time. According to the International Energy Agency, one in every seven passenger cars bought in 2022 was an EV.
“We elected to initially offer the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT only in Europe because sales of EV’s are growing much more rapidly there than in the USA,” said Aaron Shelby Board Member of Carroll Shelby International and grandson of the company founder. “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.”
The Mustang Mach-E is available in 39 countries across the world for 2023, up from 22 in the vehicle’s first year. Ford has produced its 150,000th Mustang Mach-E since starting production nearly two years ago, a significant milestone as the company scales EV production to a rate of 600,000 annually by late 2023 and more than 2 million annually by 2026.
Shelby’s team explored opportunities to modify the Mustang Mach-E GT based on its experiences with the company’s concept SEMA vehicle. Shelby American specifically tailored its limited edition of the Ford Mustang Mach-E to improve handling and styling. Key components include a carbon fiber hood splitter, custom lightweight wheels and handling package that lowered the vehicle.
“This is our first foray into a production electric vehicle, so we spent a great deal of time testing EV’s on the track to understand their unique handling dynamics,” said Vince LaViolette, Shelby American Vice President of Operations. “Based on that experience, we lowered the SUV over an inch, cut weight off the top of it, reduced rotating mass to enhance stability and enhanced the aerodynamics.”
Other Shelby modifications to the vehicle include:
- Carbon fiber mirror caps, door trim
- Racing stripes
- Custom Shelby floor mats
- Shelby badging both inside and out
- Official Shelby CSM identification number
Good, keep them over there.