‘Electrification’ is the probably the most heavily-used word in the auto industry today. Increasingly stringent emission regulations as well as commitments to become carbon-neutral to address climate change have forced carmakers to accelerate development and production of electric vehicles. Ford is even creating a specific business unit just for electric vehicles. The aim is to fully electrify their product lines by the end of the decade and for some, sales of vehicles with internal combustion engines will cease.

In tandem with this trend, there is also a growing industry where old models are being ‘electrified’. Classic models are having ‘heart transplants’ with their original engines being replaced by electric powertrains. It’s a slowly growing industry which will help preserve classic models of special value and allow them to be driven even in the new era of electrification.

We’ve already written about companies like Everrati and Lunaz carrying out such conversions and another British company called Charge Cars is also getting into the business. The company has an experienced engineering team with members who have contributed to various projects for McLaren Automotive, Jaguar Land Rover and F1 racing teams.

The company has announced its latest ‘restomod’ project to build EVs which is a 499-unit production run of the iconic 1960s Ford Mustang. While some other companies require an existing body and chassis to convert, Charge Cars takes an officially licensed body with the design of the legendary Mustang. The bodyshell (in the fastback style of 1967) is made of composite material but has the necessary engineering to ensure that it is safe and can meet safety requirements for road use.

It’s something like what ACE (a subsidiary of EON) used to do with the TD2000, a model which had the looks of a 1950s MG sportscar but a modern powertrain and chassis. The powertrain was not electric and was a 2-litre petrol engine sourced from Toyota similar to that found in the early RAV4.

So Charge Car basically builds a new Mustang with the 1960s design and fits an electric powertrain into it. It gets two electric motors which presumably are installed at the front and rear as all-wheel drive is mentioned, something which the Mustang has never had. The total system output is 500 kW (equivalent to 680 ps) and up to 1,500 Nm, so it should easily get from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) within the claimed 3.9 seconds. The battery pack, which can be fast-charged, has a capacity of 64 kWh which is said to be good for up to 320 kms.

Charge Car will personalize the 2-person interior to customers’ requirements and there are various options and accessories to choose from. While the original Mustang had classic meters, the Mustang EV has digital instruments and a tablet-like centre panel which looks like the same idea as in the latest Mustang Mach-E e-SUV.

Each unit, which would be handbuilt, will cost upwards of £350,000 (about RM1.94 million) ex-factory. Orders are now being taken and the first customers will get their cars by the end of this year or early in 2023.

All-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E debuts in Los Angeles, priced from around RM183,000