Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400 First Drive: An Insane, 1,400-hp Electric Frankenhorse

Vaughn Gittin Jr. is a great passenger. You might know him better as a superlative driver and a peer to hard-charging, energy-drink-hawking drift kings such as Tanner Foust, Ken Block, and Travis Pastrana. But should you ever find Gittin in your passenger seat, know that he's cool as a cucumber. I learned this when I spun his electric, seven-motor, 1,400-hp mutant version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E on the infield track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The turn was a tight left up a crest, and although Gittin had already warned me there was a real possibility of lift-off oversteer, I still spun the crazy "SUV" off the track and onto the lawn. "Don't worry about it," he said, easing my embarrassment. "I did the same thing earlier." That's probably how he knew his monster might do that.

What Is It?

We've of course covered the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400 prototype before; please click that link if you want all the nitty gritty details. The 10,000-foot view is that Gittin's Ford tuning house, RTR Vehicles, collaborated with Ford Performance to build an over-the-top, all-purpose hooning machine. Instead of two east/west motors as found in a normal Mustang Mach-E, the Mach-E 1400 hasseven: three in front, four in back. Unlike most electric vehicles, the Mustang Mach-E 1400's motors reside on a driveshaft and face north/south. Why? Turns out if you want to go drifting, you need to run all the power and torque through a differential. Additionally, with a diff, the gear ratios can be swapped out easily. This makes the car more than just a one-trick drift pony. For instance, the track configuration I drove had the rear diff set up with 130-mph gears, while the front diff was at 150 mph. More on that later. For drifting, Gittin runs only the rear motors through an 85-mph set of gears. Also, the Mustang Mach-E 1400 uses an 800-volt electric architecture.

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A Weighty Challenge

What's one of the two big problems with performance EVs? Batteries are heavy, for one. The other combined issue is that batteries run out of juice relatively quickly when driving flat out, and they take too long to recharge. Nobody has cracked the latter challenge yet, but RTR and Ford Performance came up with something novel to address the first one.

The Mustang Mach-E 1400's battery chemistry was chosen because it discharges as quickly as possible. When electricity discharges from a battery, it generates a relatively small amount of heat. However, when you flow electricity back into a bunch of cells, a lot of heat is created and the battery typically needs to be cooled, especially when we're talking high (800V) voltage.

How do you cool a lithium-ion battery pack? With Gatorade! Fine, with electrolytes—salty, mineral-enriched water. But if you only need to cool the battery while the car is charging, why bother carrying the water and its weight on board? Instead, RTR and Ford Performance plug in a liquid-cooling pump while the Mache-E 1400 charges. That way, the cooling liquid is never in the vehicle while it's driving. That said, even with a relatively small (and liquid-free) 57-kWh battery, the Mustang Mach-E 1400 still weighs about 5,000 pounds.

What's It Like to Drive?

"You ever driven anything like this?" Gittin asked as I approached his car for the first time. "Yes," I replied. "I've driven Bugattis and Koenigseggs that make about this much power, as well as the 1,050-hp Lucid and the 1,111-hp Lucid Air." He looked a touch taken aback. "But never on a track," I added, trying not to come off too brazenly.

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The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is quite roomy for a race car, perhaps its only real advantage to being based on a crossover SUV. Visibility is great, and once it's in Drive—accomplished by turning some knobs above your head—the controls could not be more simple: throttle, brakes, steering. That's it. Well, there was a big, old, tempting dorifto handbrake, but seeing as I'd be out on a racetrack and not an empty parking lot, I didn't dare touch it.

I drove a bit timidly on my first lap because, hey, 1,400 hp is a big number. I noticed right away the Mustang Mach-E 1400 was more impressive when turning than when going straight, something I never would have guessed with such a powerful machine. Gearing the rear differential slightly slower than the front meant the thing was a bit tail happy, but enough torque still went to the front wheels to pull the 1400 smartly out of an apex.

I pushed more on subsequent laps, but I'd never even thought about Charlotte Motor Speedway's infield road course before, let alone driven it. So I spent too much time thinking, "Where the hell am I?" as opposed to evaluating the car. There were a few places where I could mash the accelerator and feel the full fury of all seven motors. I suspect if the shorter, 85-mph gearset had been in place, the acceleration would have been even more explosive. As it was, the Mach-E 1400 still proved ridic quick, closing the gap between point A and point B quite rapidly. Still, you'd think 1,400 hp would feel quicker. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded.

Not completely, though, as the car's grip bowled me over. I've never driven anything even close to this powerful on slick tires. I wish I'd been braver (and that I knew the circuit better) as the grip levels felt outstanding. Suddenly the Mustang Mach-E 1400 reminded me of another absolutely ridiculous vehicle I drove years ago: the insane Nissan Juke-R. There's just something about both cars having a high seating position without much in the way of interiors.

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One weird thing about the Ford: Due to power steering that isn't up to par, when you're off power the steering thickens up. Thickens up? Yeah, the effort increases what seems like at least threefold. The instant you're back on the pedal, the power steering system kicks back on. It's completely odd, and Gittin assured me RTR is looking for a better solution, noting the 1400 is in uncharted territory. Sadly, as I racked up more and more laps, the steering got heavier and heavier when I came off the throttle.

Still, what a mad machine. Part of Gittin's intent with the Mustang Mach-E 1400 was to show the motorsports world EVs are anything but boring. In that regard, he and his team and Ford Performance succeeded wildly. This thing is absolutely bonkers. Aside from the steering issue, is there anything I'd change? Yes, I'd go back to Charlotte with a much less powerful track car and spend a day or two learning the circuit. I know the Mustang Mach-E 1400 has a lot more left in it that I'd like to exploit. Which is an overly adult way of saying, "Again! Again! Again!"