EV Hot Rodder Charge Cars Hires McLaren Designer Mark Roberts

British electric car startup Charge Cars has just recruited Mark Roberts to its ranks, a man who has spent almost 30 years at McLaren.

Roberts was poached by McLaren from Lotus back in 1988 and played a key role in making the revolutionary McLaren F1 a reality. Roberts was just McLaren’s ninth employee and in the decades since being hired, has played a crucial role in the design of virtually all McLaren’s road cars, including the likes of the P1, Senna, Speedtail, and Elva.

Read More: A Brand New Classic Ford Mustang With An EV Powertrain Is Coming To Goodwood

Eager to bring an industry veteran into its ranks, Charge Cars has recruited Roberts as its Chief Creative Officer. In his post, Roberts will influence the design of future products from the company. Charge Cars focuses on re-imagining classic vehicles and outfitting them with all-electric powertrains.

“Charge has something really special and I felt it the moment I walked in the door—a spark and an energy that only a startup can have,” said Roberts. “It reminded me of when I first started at McLaren. I’ve always had a real passion for classic vehicles, and after many years working with cutting-edge technology on supercars, I love the concept of taking an iconic classic and incorporating supercar technology into it whilst always respecting the original design.”

The first vehicle from Charge Cars is its all-electric classic Ford Mustang. Sitting in place of the vehicle’s V8 engine are a pair of electric motors offering up 536 hp and 800 lb-ft (1,084 Nm) of torque and powering all four wheels. The car can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in less than 4 seconds and travel a respectable 200 miles (320 km) on a single charge. Just 499 examples are bound for the production line with prices starting at a cool £300,000 ($386,000).