Manoli Katakis 
Revealed at SEMA 2019, Ford Motor Company, in partnership with Webasto, unveiled the Ford Mustang Lithium prototype, an ultra-high-performance battery-electric Mustang fastback. Ford claims a starchy 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque along with more than 900 horsepower on demand (more than both the Shelby GT500 and the Dragon Snake), and for an electric muscle car, it’s actually pretty cool.
Under the hood, there’s a Phi-Power dual-core electric motor provided with twin power inverters which are fed by an 800-volt Webasto battery system with EVDrive Technology that can discharge a megawatt of electrical energy. According to the company, it’s 800-volt powertrain doubles the voltage of most electric cars on the road today. The system is allegedly lighter, more powerful and generates less heat.
The Ford Mustang Lithium Prototype even features a manual transmission that needs to use a quarter-mile proven Calimer-version of the Getrag MT82 6-speed transmission with beefed-up billet internals to cope with the violence generated by 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque. Routing power to the ground is a set of Ford Performance half shafts along with a Super 8.8 Torsen differential.
The prototype sits low and sleek thanks to a 1.0-inch lowered stance and 20-inch staggered lightweight Forgeline wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Other goodies include Ford Performance’s Track Handling Pack and strut tower brace, Brembo six-piston front brakes from the Shelby GT350R, Sankuer Composite Technologies side splitters and rear diffuser, plus Webasto hood with see-through polycarbonate windows, TurboDX charging solution and TurboCord portable charger.
Lastly, there’s a unique set of drive modes that apply a controlled amount of torque for different driving scenarios including Valet, Sport, Track and Beast, and are instantly available on-demand via a custom in-dash 10.4-inch touchscreen display.
The Mustang Lithium build is a one-off prototype previewing what electrification of the world’s most popular sports car could look like. It will also double as a testbed for battery and thermal management technologies being developed by Webasto and Ford.
Stay tuned for more Ford BEV news coming next week with the expected launch of Ford’s Mustang-inspired electric crossover. Which, combined with the Ford Mustang Lithium, begs the question… is the world ready? Do we want an electric muscle car? Or do we let icons be bygones? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
