The trail-ready Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally has launched in the UK, priced from £76,790.
It arrives as a £2250 option pack for the existing Mach-E GT, packing 480bhp and a whopping 649lb ft of torque. Added to that is a suite of off-road chassis upgrades, including new springs that bring a 20mm increase in ride height, and specially-tuned Magneride dampers.
The Rally comes with its own Rally Sport driving mode, which gives a linear throttle response for improved acceleration control, more aggressive damping and improved traction on slippery surfaces. It also adapts the traction and stability control systems “to allow bigger slides”.
Underneath, the 91kWh battery and electric motors are shielded from rocks and bumps by thick underbody shielding, and Ford has coated the body cladding with a protective spray to reduce the risk of chips and scrapes.
There’s a two hook integrated into the front bumper, too, “should off-highway adventures ever get a little too spicy”.
Ford says the Mach-E Rally’s bespoke styling was inspired in part by the legendary Ford Focus RS hot hatch, in particular the “dramatic” rear spoiler.
Other unique elements include the contrasting body trim, beefy front splitter, black roof panel, rally-style foglights and racing stripes.
The interior is more subtly differentiated from the Mach-E GT, with bespoke elements limited to white accents throughout to match the wheels, Mach-E Rally badging and sports seats.
Darren Palmer, who heads up Ford’s EV programmes, told Autocar the original idea for the Rally came from a rallycross enthusiast in Ford’s Always On team – created to constantly monitor feedback from customers and social media, which informs the development of over-the-air software updates and model-line additions.
“One of them does rallycross and he seeded the idea: ‘Hey, we have heritage in this car. What if we do a rallycross version, because it fits with what we’ve done in the past?’.
