Mach-E Who? This Electro-Modded Classic Ford Mustang Is Future-Proof

Famous for its reputation in motor racing back in the 1960s, Alan Mann Racing (AMR) is now expanding its expertise with a new type of engineering: the company develops and integrates electric powertrains into classic cars. And the first of them is this classic Mustang.

Why did the team go for the Mustang? Part-time racing driver and team manager Alan Mann was very fond of the Mustang. And on his return to racing in 2004, he chose a Mustang to relaunch the team. AMR still runs a Mustang in historic races today. The model played a huge part in the history of the company and is close to their hearts, Henry Mann, son of founder Alan Mann and director of AMR, explains.

Furthermore, the first-generation Mustang was the first racing Mustang to achieve international success for Ford in motor racing. Back in 1964, the model was prepared by Alan Mann’s team. How did it get there?

Back in February 1964, Alan Mann Racing was sent a pre-production Ford Mustang chassis. They were supposed to test it, evaluate it, and send feedback to Ford before the model received homologation. AMR secretly tested the car at Goodwood, in the United Kingdom, and sent a detailed report back to Dearborn, sharing their experience.

Ford had decided to enter the Mustang in some European endurance rallies, just to see where they stood with the new model. The Tour de France and Marathon de la Route were on their list. Alan Mann Racing prepared and entered the cars and finished the Tour de France first, turning the participation into the new Mustang's first competition success worldwide.

A project built on the success story of the Ford Mustang racing car

The base car for the current project can be any Mustang from the 1960s. The car can either by provided by AMR or brought to the workshop by the owner. The project starts with stripping the car and carefully removing the powertrain.

Body and remaining mechanicals are replaced or refurbished, depending on their condition and how much work they need. The car is then rebuilt around the high-end compact electric motor that is mounted on the rear axle and drives the rear wheels, but also around a modern chassis built at racing standards.

Furthermore, the old braking system is replaced with a new regenerative system, which features ventilated front and rear discs with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear.

Legislation is still tolerant of classic cars in most parts of the world. But Henry Mann is aware that there might be times when ICEs will not be viable on classics anymore. With the electric powertrain, the 1965 Mustang is future-proofed. Being powered by an electric motor is synonymous to the car being able to remain on the road for a very long time, no matter what the future regulations on emissions will bring.

An interesting coincidence and a lengthy conversion 

Each conversion takes around 1,000 hours to complete. It can take longer if the donor car is in bad condition. Customers who live outside the United Kingdom will get their cars from AMR's business partner, Mann ePower Cars, based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A bizarre coincidence is that the owner of Mann ePower Cars is also called Henry Mann, but is not related to AMR’s Henry Mann.

Henry from the US and his family have been involved in manufacturing, sales, and service in the precision electronics and hi-tech lighting sector for 50 years and have been rolling out modern and classic automobiles.

American Henry and British Henry first met at the launch of the Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show. They immediately became friends, and their friendship soon turned into a partnership.

Now, every single element on the Mustangs they build is either restored or replaced, making sure that the new elements are on a period-correct aesthetic. Modern features end up on board as well to offer more comfort than the original ones, such as the racing seats, climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, and integrated display.

By ditching the old engine and transmission, the team shaved off around 285 kilograms (628 pounds), which have been, though, replaced by the weight of the 72-kWh battery pack. This allows the car to drive more than the 200-mile (322 kilometers) range of the 1960s car. The Mustang can recharge from 20 to 80 percent in just 40 minutes.

As for performance, AMR kept the sports car DNA. The electric Mustang comes with 300 horsepower (304 PS) and 229 pound-feet (310 Nm) of torque. The model can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0-97 kph) in 5.2 seconds and reach a top speed electronically limited to 97mph (156 kph).

AMR and Mann ePower Cars are counting on the existing owners of classic Mustangs to want to electro-mod their cars. Ford built over a million Mustangs of the kind. So there sure is a big chance for the two teams to hear from the owners willing to pay north of £200,000 ($242,373), depending on the final spec requested by the customer and destination taxes.