Shelby Dips Its Toe in EV Waters

If you wondered how some of America’s speed houses were going to adjust to an all-electric future, today brings a partial answer. Shelby has introduced a Mach-E GT, a rig that adds carbon fiber body panels and a performance suspension – while leaving the powertrain untouched.

In a telling move, the first 100 copies are reserved for Europe.

Sure, one could argue that Europe is where Shelby's performance was technically gestated when ol’ Carroll plunked a V8 engine in an AC Ace to make the Cobra. But the intervening decades have seen the company prominently – and logically – sell its wares to Americans with a healthy dose of red-white-and-blue marketing. That the brand’s first EVs are headed across the pond speaks volumes.

Know what else speaks volumes? A new Active Performance Sound System from Borla, meant to mimic the sounds of an internal combustion engine as it matches the vehicle speed and RPM. Fans got a glimpse of this tech at last year’s SEMA Show in Vegas, where it was demonstrated with a trio of settings to reproduce the racket of different V8 engines. Nowhere in the bumf is it mentioned what sort of noise this particular system creates. Companies like Shelby and Borla tend to insist this type of tech is a key part of creating an expected component of high-performance cars, but it can be argued that the brave new EV world is the right time to introduce new aural delights instead of trying to reinvent the past – sometimes poorly. We shall see. 

Shelby says the new suspension gubbins lowers the car by an inch, while the carbon fiber bits “cut weight off the top” which presumably translates into a lower center of gravity. Forged aluminum wheels are said to reduce mass at each corner, and the typical Shelby stripes are added as well. Insofar as one can tell, there are no performance upgrades compared to a stock Mach-E GT, which belts out 480 horsepower and 634 lb-ft of torque. You can comment on this decision at your leisure.

A total of 100 packages are planned for offer in Europe, marking the Carroll Shelby Centennial, and can be retrofitted to 2021-2023 model year Mach-E GT models or may be added to a new rig. Cost checks in at €24,900 (roughly $27,500 USD), not including the vehicle itself.

[Images: Shelby]

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