Shelby is known around the world for injecting a bit more attitude into Ford Mustangs. Now, the Nevada-based company is officially reaching into the electric realm with the Mustang Mach-E, at least when it comes to appearance. Say hello to the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT, the first fully electric production Shelby vehicle ever. But you won’t see it cruising the streets of North America. This striped EV is exclusive to the European market.
Even across the pond, it will be an extremely rare machine. Only 100 will be built, honoring what would’ve been Carroll Shelby’s 100th birthday this year. Vehicles are targeted to arrive at dealerships starting in July.
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What will buyers get in the first Shelby EV? In this case, it’s very much a case of what you see is what you get, as the upgrades are largely aesthetic. There’s a heavy infusion of carbon fiber with a new hood, grille, rocker panels, mirror caps, and a custom carbon fiber front splitter that is functional at higher speeds. Being a Shelby you’ll naturally get over-the-top stripes along with striping along the side, and the Mach-E rides on Shelby wheels that are four pounds lighter each. In fact, Shelby emphasizes much of the work on the Mach-E was done to reduce weight, but the company doesn’t mention total weight savings versus stock.
The only mechanical upgrade comes with the suspension. The Shelby Mach-E sits a bit lower, but like the weight reduction, there’s no mention of specific component changes or how much lower it rides. And since Shelby Mustangs are synonymous with V8 power, the company worked with Borla to create a digital V8 soundtrack pumping through the car’s speakers. The sound is based on the exhaust note of the supercharged Shelby GT500, and it will also simulate transmission shifts, for better or worse.
The car looks virtually identical to the Shelby Mach-E concept that debuted at SEMA in 2021, right down to the style of the striping on the rear quarters. As for why it’s not available to North American buyers, Shelby American President Gary Patterson explained that they doing what people want.
“If you listen to the people, and what people want, Europeans have a much higher percentage of people that are interested in electric vehicles, purchasing electric vehicles,” he said. “I think their tax structure over there is set up in such a way that there’s a lot of advantages for people to invest in electric vehicle powertrains; there are real tax incentives and so forth. So why not go to the area of the world where the iron is most hot?”
Pricing for the 2023 Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT package starts at €24,900 ($27,488 at current exchange rates) which doesn’t include the price of the actual car.
