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Ford announced a “first-ever” rally-inspired Mustang Mach-E for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, which kicked off this week. And what’s more, the special-edition EV will be available to order in the US and Europe later this year.
We don’t have much more information about the Mustang Mach-E Rally, as Ford would not provide specifications or images of the vehicle before the publication of this article. But the company did say the EV would be a true off-roader with a focus on speed and performance — as is typical of vehicles designed for the notoriously hilly Goodwood Festival.
“Mustang Mach-E took the freedom and fun of Mustang and made it free from emissions. Now with Mustang Mach-E Rally, we’re providing our customers the freedom to venture off the asphalt and beyond the beaten path,” said Darren Palmer, vice president, electric vehicle programs, Ford Model e, in a statement.
Ford already has GT and GT Performance versions of the Mustang Mach-E, so it will be really interesting to see how the rally version differentiates. I think we can expect a performance bump over the Performance GT’s 480 horsepower, 634 pound-feet of torque, and 3.5-second zero to 60mph time. We could also be looking at different size wheels, better brakes, and performance-rated tire treads.
Ford toyed around with the idea of an electric Mustang with a six-speed manual gearbox, but the version that came out in 2019 was just a one-off. In fact, Ford loves a good electric one-off — the vintage F-100 with an EV powertrain on a 44-year-old frame is a great example — which is why the company’s plans to put the Mach-E Rally into production are so surprising.
Ford isn’t the first automaker to design a vehicle specifically for the Goodwood Festival. Polestar released a more powerful version of its fastback sedan in 2021, complete with more horsepower and a wider stance.
At this week’s festival, the new Mustang will be driven by Ott Tänak, current driver of the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 entry and former World Rally champion. Ford CEO Jim Farley actually tackled the Goodwood hill climb himself in 2021 from behind the wheel of a Mach-E Cobra Jet 1400. And the company won the open class at Pikes Peak with a souped-up version of its electric Transit van.
