This thing sounds like something out of Star Trek.
As more manufacturers surge towards electric cars (see what I did there?), one of the many battles has been how they can make drop the 'EVs aren't interesting, they have no soul' mantra.
In releasing its Mustang Mach-E late last year, Ford's answer to the conundrum was to layer the car with an existing history and nostalgia. And now the American firm has doubled down on the move, in producing its own rather incredible Mustang Mach-E drift monster.
Drawing on drifting, time-attack, and other forms of vehicular combat, this is what Ford calls the Mustang Mach-E 1400. That number is big, and is a reference to the amount of power this thing produces.
Yes, 1400hp is Ford's claim (approximately 1043kW!), and listening to its incredible whine in the above video, you can believe them, too.
Read more: NZ's most insane drift car? Inside a flood-damaged, rebuilt 700hp Corvette
The power stems from a whopping seven different electric motors strewn across the Mach-E's platform. There's three mounted to the front differential, and four attached to the rear differential in a 'pancake' formation via a single driveshaft.
A special 58.6kWh battery pack provides the juice; special as it uses nickel manganese cobalt 'cells' designed for higher performance than your standard EV, as well as improved recharging rates.
Among the other curious feats of engineering is the Mach-E 1400's ability to be switched between all-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, and rear-wheel drive.
Ford also added a raft of other finer points to its individual drive modes between drifting and traditional track circle work, although much of it involves banging the big Mustang on a hoist and swapping things like control arms for added steering angle.
For the launch, Ford rounded up a raft of its most famed Mustang racers in the US, as well as their cars. Ken Block and his 'Hoonicorn' all-wheel drift Mustang was there, as was NASCAR champion Joey Logano, and Formula D combatants Chelsea Denofa and Vaughan Gittin Jr.
For Gittin, the project holds particular significance, given that he's a co-founder of Ford-centric tuning company RTR. The firm had a generous hand in the production of the Mach-E 1400.
“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be,” said Gittin Jr. “This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.”
