Should Your Ford Mustang Mach-E Sound Like a GT500 or a C8 Stingray?
Borla was first approached for a high-performance aftermarket sound by Shelby American for use on its amped-up Mustang Mach-E models. The system includes a speaker, wiring, a computer/controller, and an app that can be used to choose or customize the “exhaust” tone. Currently Borla offers several combustion-engine tunes but says it’s working on all-new soundtracks just for electric cars.
Initially, we walked by the Mustang Mach-E parked in the Borla Exhaust booth at the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show and thought somebody had goofed in their display-car choice. Borla is well known as an aftermarket exhaust company with offerings for modern domestic and import cars, as well as a few side-by-sides, but what is an EV like the Mach-E going to do with a stainless three-inch cat-back system?
Wanted: A More Aggressive Sound
“We had customers coming to us, particularly with the Mach-E, and asking for more aggressive sound,” said VP of sales and marketing, David Borla, who either has a coincidentally appropriate last name or a running stake in the success of the company. The first of those customers was Shelby American, which was adding a customized Mach-E to its fleet of heritage and modern Ford offerings and wanted to set its cars apart from mild stock-Es.
Elana Scherr|Car and Driver
“Shelby said, ‘Help us out, we need to add some sound to these,’ ” says Borla. “When you lose sound, you lose vibrations, it’s a different experience.” As he spoke, he revved up the Mach-E on the show floor, turning heads and causing confusion.
The Borla kit is a speaker set, amplifier, wiring harness, digital processor (which acts as a computer, connected to the vehicle CANbus data to sync the pedal to the sound), and an app that can control or change the tone. “It’s very customizable,” says Borla, adding that an install takes about the same time as a traditional ICE bolt-on. Mach-E owners can be terrorizing their neighborhoods in just about an hour.
Elana Scherr|Car and Driver
Currently the system is offered with three programmed options: a GT500, a Camaro, and a C8 Corvette. That will absolutely baffle folks in the parking garage. When asked why an EV needs to sound like an existing engine, Borla said this is just the beginning of what’s possible. “We’e working with a synthesizer company right now to come up with notes that have nothing to do with internal combustion,” he said.
Elana Scherr|Car and Driver
“This is our Blockbuster vs. Netflix moment,” he added, fully aware that the idea of an EV sound system might have people on both sides of electric-car adoption scratching their heads. “Who knows what it should be? It’s all new; the future is evolving. For us, the mission is the same—make cars sound good. If you don’t like it, you can always turn it off.”
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