With Detroit’s Big Three working to usher in the electric era of muscle cars, the aftermarket has already done it. And while some conversions of the sort come from enthusiast’s garages, British company Charge Cars has prepared a standout EV transformation for the original Ford Mustang. The production version of the battery-powered 1967-like ‘Stang (we’ll get to that in a moment) was presented back in March, but the vehicle made its dynamic debut during last month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
For starters, no classic Mustangs are being hurt to build these cars, of which just 499 are being made—even so, as with any battery-powered classic, the proposal remains a bit of an opinion splitter.
Instead, we’re looking at an officially licensed 1967 Mustang body. However, instead of a V8 or perhaps some wicked Cummins swap like this S550 got, this pony uses four electric motors—one for each wheel. As a result, the machine packs 400 kW (536 hp) and a whopping 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of instant electric torque.
Relying on a 62 kWh battery pack, the machine can play the 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) game in 3.9 seconds, while its maker estimates a range of around 200 miles (322 km). There are various charing possibilities, with the best option, a 50 kW DC rapid charging system, being able to take the battery from 20 to 80 percent in under one hour.
This is the same demo car we saw a few months ago. And the uber-glossy shade of black covering the classic-look body hides some of the Mustang’s iconic lines at times, leaving our brains to fill in the gaps. Speaking of which, as you may have expected by now, this is a top-tier proposal that comes with all sorts of exterior and interior personalization options.
However, all those posh details come with a price. Before options, the Charge Mustang EV costs £350,000 (about $416,000 at the current exhcange rates).
The Gooodwood FOS adventure of the car
The Goodwood Hillclimb is an officially sanctioned course. And while its 1.16-mile (1.87 km) length and 9 turns might make it appear diminutive, the tight nature and the pressure of the large crowd sitting behind the haystacks make this quite challenging. Of course, this doesn’t stop drifters from going absolutely mental on the course (here’s a rotary-swapped C6 Corvette going at it).
This is why Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi was tasked with taking the car up the hill. And, as the racing driver explains in the video below, this was his first time behind the wheel of the e-Stang. A bit of front axle wheelspin here, a tad of spicy steering feedback there and the Charged EV 1967 Mustang got up the hill, in what appears to have been a silent, but loud appearance.
