A startup is reviving the classic 1967 Mustang as a brand-new, $450,000 electric sports car

Forget the Ford Mustang Mach-E. This British startup is building brand-new electric cars that look exactly like the iconic 1967 Mustang.

• The '67 by Charge Cars is a brand-new, electrified take on the 1960s Ford Mustang Fastback. 
• Despite its vintage looks, the '67 is very much a modern EV with four motors and 536 horsepower.
• The '67 is set to hit streets in late 2023 with a starting price of $450,000 in the US. 

Are you considering an electric car but want something with a bit more charm than a cookie-cutter Tesla?

You're in luck. If you have an extra $450,000 laying around, that is.

That's what British startup Charge Cars is asking for the '67, a battery-powered Ford Mustang look-alike that's like nothing else on the market.

The company launched in 2016 with the idea of "bringing some character and some soul to the world of EVs," Nicholas Osy de Zegwaart, Charge Cars' global head of sales, told Insider.

At first, it planned to refurbish vintage Mustangs and modernize them with electric motors. But in 2018 it pivoted, deciding instead to build new EVs from scratch that revive iconic cars from years past.

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The '67, featuring the Ford-licensed design of the 1960s Mustang Fastback, is the company's first vehicle. It's currently in development, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2023, Osy de Zegwaart said.

The electrified classic promises some impressive stats, including a whopping 1,170 pound-feet of torque provided by four motors. (Most electric cars have one or two.)

With 536 horsepower on tap, the '67 will zip to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, Charge Cars says.

Range is estimated at 200 miles, less than most new EVs on the market. Osy de Zegwaart said the car's battery capacity was limited by the Mustang's size. Plus, customers probably won't travel all that far in the '67 anyway, he said.

While the sports car's overall dimensions and key lines are true to the original, Charge Cars opted to make body panels — the doors, hood, trunk, and so on — out of weight-saving carbon fiber.

It also made tweaks all around with an eye on style and aerodynamics, including adding flush door handles and smoothing out some surfaces.

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"We've tried to balance function and form and give the car as clean lines as we can whilst being respectful to the original," Osy De Zegwaart said.

In some cases it was able to give iconic design elements a new purpose. The charging port, for example, is hidden behind the '67's side air vents.

Inside, the '67 is more Tesla than Mustang. Its minimalist cabin is dominated by two large screens.

The car also will have a slew of tech features that bring the Mustang into the 21st century: wireless phone charging, LED headlights, and driver aids like adaptive cruise control.

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Building an EV company from scratch is no small feat, and there's a long list of startups that have struggled for years to bring new electric cars to market. We'll have to wait and see how Charge Cars fares.

The company will hand-build 499 of the modernized icon at its facility in London before setting its sights on future products. It isn't sharing exactly what vintage ride it's picking next.

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"There's a lot of passionate people in the company and I think everyone's got a different idea of what they'd like to see," Osy de Zegwaart said.