Electric Fox: Ford Mustang's Manual-Shift Electric Revival

Unlike typical electric vehicle conversions that use refurbished Tesla drivetrains, this particular conversion relies solely on after-market components.

• In the early 1990s, a Ford Mustang Foxbody had its gasoline engine swapped for an electric motor but kept its original five-speed manual transmission.
• It's now over twice as powerful as it originally was and, unlike many EV swaps, it's actually a bit lighter too.
• For this electric vehicle conversion, only brand-new after-market components were utilized, hence there isn’t a refurbished Tesla engine beneath its bonnet.

Modifying vintage automobiles to operate on electric power is a contentious issue among traditionalist aficionados, as they prefer maintaining these vehicles' authenticity with their original internal combustion engines. However, although you might disagree with every conversion of classic cars into electrics, certain transformations prove to be more logical than others, and this early example illustrates just that. 1990s Fox-body Ford Mustang might be one of them.

The name refers to the third-generation Mustang built on the so-called "Fox platform," which underpinned more than a dozen rear-wheel-drive Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. This Mustang debuted in 1978 and remained in production until 1993. It was much more popular than the downsized and depowered second-generation model.

However, like many performance cars of that time, it would not meet contemporary speed benchmarks. Without either the 5.0-liter V8 or the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in your Fox Mustang, achieving a 0-to-60 mph acceleration typically took more than 10 seconds. Even so, the V8 took approximately 7.5 seconds to accelerate the car to 60 mph, but this decreased to about six seconds after the introduction of electronic fuel injection increased the engine’s power to 225 horsepower.

That’s why perhaps it isn’t as big a deal that the low-mileage, one-owner Mustang was converted to run on electricity by FuelTech in Georgia.

The main aspects of this specific transformation are highlighted in a video posted by The Racing Channel are the original manual gearbox, which you don’t have to use in an EV, but it still adds to the driving fun, and the fact that it isn’t any heavier than the original.

Even though in an EV conversion When you remove the bulky engine, you typically add more weight due to battery packs, making the vehicle heavier overall. However, this particular conversion ends up being about 50 pounds lighter compared to the standard model, which is quite remarkable. With an output of 500 horsepower and over 700 pound-feet of torque, it ought to accelerate as swiftly as a spacecraft.

The stock transmission will probably fail with all that torque it was never designed to handle, but the builders want to keep this car a manual, so a new transmission will likely be put in its place when this one goes kaboom.

Weight distribution between the two axles was kept even by splitting the battery pack (of unspecified capacity): about half it is under the hood, in front and around the drive unit, inverter and other electronics, and the rest is in the back.

When they take the car out for a drive, the most unusual part of it is shifting gears. You do it as you would in a traditional combustion car, and you can even hear the motor’s RPM drop as well as the slight judder from the clutch when lifting off, and it engages. If I drove this car, I’d probably use the clutch more than I would have to, just because I could. It’s arguably better than having simulated gears and combustion engines like some manufacturers do.

While EVs don’t need a manual transmission Since these engines provide substantial torque almost instantly at very low revolutions, owning one with interchangeable gears becomes particularly appealing for enthusiastic drivers. If you prefer not to shift frequently, you can keep it in second or third gear because the ample torque will still allow the vehicle to accelerate efficiently from a standstill without needing to begin in first gear.

The most impressive aspect is that you don't need to use the clutch to separate the motor from the transmission because the electric motor's revolutions per minute drop to zero upon stopping. We believe there is significant potential for such modifications, particularly as this approach is notably straightforward, allowing you to retain the vehicle's original transmission, drive shaft, differential, axles, and all typical suspension parts.

Would you transform an antique piece to function with electric power like this one? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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