The day before driving this Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, I spent some happy hours driving a restored and modified Ferrari Dino.
This 1973 beauty had had its original V6 engine replaced by a V8 from a later 308GTB that had also been bored and stroked from 3.0 litres to 3.8.
The brakes from a noughties 360 Modena had been fitted to cope with the car ’s now-365bhp output, and it had modern dampers to improve the near 50-year-old Ferrari’s handling.
The whole package provided fantastic but realistic performance, an amazing soundtrack and a surprisingly comfortable ride, too. Definitely the best day’s driving of the year – or several years, in fact.
And now to the Ford. The Mach-E GT is the new high-performance version of Ford’s electric SUV. The standard Mach-E has 360bhp but the GT has a massive 480bhp.
That’s even more than the ‘proper’ petrol powered Mustang Mach 1’s 5.0-litre V8 produces. The torque the GT produces is even more incredible: a massive 860Nm or 634lb ft in old money.
It’ll do 0-62mph in 3.7sec. You might want to demonstrate this to your mates but it’ll probably make them feel sick. All other Mach-Es are limited to a top speed of 111mph but the GT goes all the way to 124mph.
But there’s the problem with all these super-powerful EVs. Cars like the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S and even the Kia EV6 all have stunning acceleration and performance but what you really want is to be able to go a long way on a single charge.
The Mach-E GT has an official maximum range of 310 miles which is 25 miles less than the standard (long range) version can manage. You get a lot of old school performance for the £68,030 that the GT costs but it won’t get you as far.
Ford has done a lot to make the GT look different to the normal Mach-E. There’s a new fake grille with air intakes below it – not needed because this is an EV – and a restyled front bumper which helps channel air around the GT’s wider tyres.
The ride height has also been lowered by 10mm.
There are also side skirts and a GT badge replaces the horse on the tailgate, and there are two shades of paint exclusive to the GT – Cyber Orange and Grabber Blue. The Mach-E is a good looking motor and looks even better in those colours. Our test car, however, is painted in optional Rapid Red.
The first thing that strikes you about the Mach-E GT is how bad the ride is. Few cars I’ve ever driven are as bad as this Ford over broken surfaces.
After you’ve made your passengers turn green while demonstrating the car’s breathtaking acceleration you can drop them off at the osteopath.
To further emphasise the Mach-E’s sportiness the GT, like all the other models, is fitted with a noise generator. It actually works quite well and makes the car sound like it’s got a big petrol engine under its bonnet, perhaps with eight cylinders.
But there’s no change of tone because in an electric car there’s no changing of gears.
So after a while the novelty of this sports car soundtrack wears off and the fake noise begins to sound like the sort of thing they play to torture prisoners. If you want sports car sounds, get the real thing, like that Ferrari Dino.
The Mach-E is a better looking car than Aston Martin’s DBX in my view. But sadly, for a £68,000 car, the materials inside are disappointing.
Column stalks and the few switches you are given – most functions are controlled through the huge 15.5in Tesla-like screen – have been taken from cheaper Ford models.
The Ford Mach-E GT is impressive on paper and looks the business, but it’s expensive and has performance that’s unusable on a public road.
The normal Mach-E is more than adequate.
The facts
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT five-door crossover
Price: £68,030
Engine: Two electric motors, 99 kWh battery, 480bhp
0-62 mph: 3.7 sec
Range: 310 miles
