Ford Performance joined forces with Sean Evans, of the web show “Hot Ones” to turn the feeling of riding in the Mustang Mach-E 1400 into a hot sauce. (Ford)Â
Ford Performance and hot sauce “heatonist” Sean Evans are playing chicken, sort of, with an eye-watering recipe. Evans, of the “Hot Ones” web show, has cooked up a blistering sauce that attempts to translate the sensation of riding in the Mustang Mach-E 1400.
The bottled sauce — too-hot-for-production or for sale — is said to have notes of smoke and charred earth from plenty of insanely hot peppers. Motorsport’s champion and fearless “fun-haver,” Vaughn Gittin Jr., took a taste test. And then Gittin Jr. took Evans for a saucy track run in the Mustang Mach-E 1400.
Both prototypes appear to have similar insane capabilities. Pass the cold milk for the hot sauce, pass the barf bag for the ride-along with Gittin. Watch the video.
Hot sauce “heatonist” Sean Evans (left) and racing champ Vaughn Gittin Jr. sit down for an eye-watering taste test of the hot sauce. (Ford)
No rules
The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a 1,400-horsepower, all-electric racing prototype built by Ford Racing engineers and RTR Vehicles. It’s a just-for-the-hell-of-it prototype to fathom the limits and adhesion potential for obscene electric power on the track, drag strip, or gymkhana course.
The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a 1,400-horsepower experiment. (Ford)
The project took 10,000 hours of collaboration to figure out what an electric vehicle can do and what customers tend to believe it can do, said Ron Heiser, chief program engineer for the Mustang Mach-E, in a release.
Mustang Mach-E Performance
Blistering power comes through seven — 7 ! — electric motors, five more than the production Mustang Mach-E GT. Three are attached to the front differential and four are attached to the rear in pancake style. A single driveshaft connects them to the differentials.
The setup has a huge range of adjustability to set the car up for everything from drifting to high-speed track racing, Heiser said.
Aerodynamics were optimized, including unique cooling ducts. (Ford)
Battery power
The 56.8-kilowatt-hour battery is made up of nickel manganese cobalt pouch cells. The composition allows ultra-high performance at a high discharge rate. The battery system uses a di-electric coolant during charging to decrease the time needed between runs.
The project took shape without rules, according to Mark Rushbrook, motorsports director for Ford Performance. The Ford team and RTR used many of the same tools Ford uses for its race and production vehicles.
Blistering power comes through seven electric motors. (Ford)
A winged warrior of downforce
Beginning with a Mustang Mach-E GT body-in-white, aerodynamics were optimized to create a winged warrior of downforce. The body has unique cooling ducts, a front splitter, dive planes, and a tall rear wing. Downforce is targeted at more than 2,300 pounds at 160 mph.
The chassis and powertrain were a test beds to evaluate different layouts and their effects on energy consumption and performance. There were chassis tests for rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and front-wheel drive. Power delivery can be split between front and rear, or completely to one end or the other.
Drift and track setups have completely different front-end configurations, Â Rushbrook said. As an example, the control arms and steering changes were calibrated to allow for the extreme steering angles in drifting.
The disc-brake system by Brembo has an integrated electronic booster. It allows series regenerative braking and is combined with ABS and stability control. A hydraulic handbrake for drifting allows the powertrain controls to shut off power to the rear motors.
“The challenge was controlling the extreme levels of power provided by the seven motors,” Rushbrook said in the release. “Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a showcase of the art of the possible with an electric vehicle.”
The 1948 Jeep Jeepster. (Photos courtesy Stellantis PR archives)
With vaccinations increasing and COVID-19 cases declining, Americans are getting back on the road. The latest Gauge Index by Hankook Tire found some interesting statistics (All photos courtesy of 
Low tire pressure can lead to poor performance, premature and irregular wear, and higher rolling resistance which can impact fuel efficiency. If the tires show any signs of damage, excessive wear or aging, it’s important to have them checked by a reputable service facility to ensure their safety and best performance. It might also be time for tire balancing and wheel alignment.
A thorough wash, with either a waterless cleaner or a sudsy wash, will benefit the paint, but don’t overlook the wheels and wheel wells to clear away road grime. Interior cleaning will help keep debris from staining carpets and getting into seat adjustment mechanisms, floor vents, cup holders, console storage and window switches.
And also do an around-vehicle check that all lights are in working order. If unsure about checking or adding fluid, or how to change any lamp bulbs, your local shop can usually administer these services at little expense.
This is also a good opportunity to spot mechanical issues that may need further professional attention. Today’s highly electrified vehicles, with battery-sapping computer sensors, can drain a 12-volt cranking battery in two to three weeks if the vehicle is not driven regularly.
The correct driving technique can help prevent damage when encountering potholes: keep plenty of distance between you and the car ahead so as to easily spot potholes. If a pothole impact is inevitable, don’t swerve, but instead safely decrease your speed, take it head-on and slowly roll over the pothole. It is always advisable to check your tires after any measurable pothole impact as it may damage the tire structure and could require replacement.
