As the age of electrification dawns on us, it’s only a matter of time before even the most iconic sports cars swap their fuel tanks and engines for batteries and electric motors. In the case of the Ford Mustang, we’re already beginning to see a preview of its electric future with the Mach-E, and to see how the two compare, Carwow decided to race them.
The Mustang GT is powered by a 5.0L V8 tuned by Clive Sutton to 490 hp (497 PS / 365 kW) and 391 lb-ft (530 Nm) of torque, and the sports coupe weighs 3,836 lb (1,740 kg). The Mach-E GT uses two electric motors to make 487 hp (494 PS / 363 kW) and 634 lb-ft (860 Nm), and it weighs 4,846 lb (2,198 kg). On paper, it looks as though the Mach-E should win despite its extra weight, but that’s not quite the case.
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In the drag race, the Mach-E predictably took a significant lead at the launch, but the Mustang GT manages to claw back towards the end, finishing just shy of the SUV’s rear bumper. Repeating the trial, the race was much closer, with the finishing result being the exact opposite of the prior one. For the tiebreaker third race, the two were nearly dead even crossing the finish line, but the Mach-E jumped the launch so they had to do a re-run. In that fourth and final race, it was the gas-powered Mustang that managed to win by about two car lengths.
In the first roll race, the Mach-E once again got the jump on the Mustang GT at the start, but the latter managed to pull back significantly and win the race by a large margin. In the second one, despite starting at a speed that better suited the Mach-E’s electric powertrain, the GT still won with the same tactics.