Ford Mustang Lithium Is a 900-HP Electric Pony Car With a Six-Speed Manual
The crowds at Cars and Coffee won’t hear this one coming.
While the Mustang-inspired "Mach E" electric crossover reveal is still a couple of weeks away, Ford just upped the ante by revealing an actual electric Mustang. On display on this week's SEMA show in Las Vegas is the Ford Mustang Lithium, a 900-horsepower all-electric pony car with—get this—a manual transmission.
Built in collaboration with heat management supplier Webasto, this one-off electric prototype is good for 1,000 pound-feet of instantaneous torque thanks to its 800-volt battery system. That's double the voltage of most production EVs on the market today. Further setting it apart from most electric cars is the presence of a manual freaking gearbox.
Yes, the Mustang Lithium transfers its monstrous amount of torque to the ground via three pedals and a stick. A Getrag six-speed with billet internals, to be specific, proving that if the engineers have their way, the manual trans need not die when electrification takes over. Whether or not the product planners play ball, however, is a different story.
Giving the Ford show car the look of a silent drag strip killer is a set of 20-inch forged wheels, ride height that's been lowered by an inch, custom carbon body bits, and a Webasto hood with transparent polycarbonate panels. Keeping things tidy outside of the drag way are Ford Performance's Track Handling Pack, strut tower brace, six-piston Brembo front brakes lifted from the Shelby GT350R, a Torsen rear differential, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
The Mustang Lithium is strictly made for SEMA's show floor (for now) but the production-ready "Mach E" will be unveiled Nov. 17.