Blue Oval has a few “demonstrators” in the pipe, including a Pikes Peak racer, but what’s this about an off-road supercar?
- Ford late January showed off a NASCAR-style Mustang Mach-E demonstrator
- Coincidence? It shares some basic specs with the ABB NASCAR prototype
- Bonus: Jim Farley is musing about a dedicated Raptor off-road “supercar”
Billed as a “technology demonstrator” rather than something which will immediately see track time, the vehicle is said to meld elements of today’s NASCAR chassis with an EV powertrain and custom bodywork intended to resemble a Mach-E. Alert readers will notice this prototype has far more of a two-door-like silhouette than any production Mach-E, a decision which was surely intentional.
Speaking of Pikes Peak, the brand also released a teaser photo of this year’s entrant, a machine the company suggested will use an EV powertrain similar to the SuperTruck, but wrapped in styling also meant to evoke the Mach-E. Will it look like this prototype? We shall see.
Whatever shows up at the hill climb in Colorado, it is worth acknowledging this is the second all-electric crossover-esque vehicle that has appeared recently attached to NASCAR. Back in July at the Chicago street race, the sanctioning body showed what it called the ABB EV Prototype, developed as a collab between all three brands currently at Cup level in NASCAR.
If you guessed it was powered by three electric motors and a – you guessed it – 78.0-kWh battery, you’d be exactly right.
“We’re in the middle of creating something, so we don’t have all the answers yet, but the question is: should Ford make an off-road supercar? Not a version of a car, a standalone supercar,” Farley said.
As noted above, Ford earned a podium finish at this year’s gruelling Dakar off-road event, which takes place nowhere near Dakar. The machine used in that campaign was called the “Raptor T1+,” and could provide the template for the bespoke consumer-grade beast Farley has in mind.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.