2024 Mustang GT Dark Horse price

Ford has wasted no time in launching a new track-focused variant of the seventh-generation Mustang, dubbed the Dark Horse. It doesn’t just look sinister but it promises to push performance to new levels.

The new Ford Mustang Dark Horse sits atop the new Mustang range and wears the first new performance name for the brand since the Mustang Bullitt was introduced in 2001. It is the most track-capable road-going Mustang ever fitted with a 5.0-liter V8 and essentially fills the void left behind by the sixth-generation Mustang Mach 1.

Ford started work on the Mustang Dark Horse some three years ago and has fitted the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with the connecting rods from the Shelby GT500’s 760 hp engine. The automaker has also installed dual throttle bodies and is ‘projecting’ it to produce 500 hp, although final figures have yet to be confirmed.

Read More: 2024 Ford Mustang Lands With BMW-Style Digital Dash, Manual Box And A 5.0 V8 You Can Rev From The Keyfob

It is not just the engine that makes the Mustang Dark Horse a track-focused beast. A unique six-speed Tremec manual transmission is fitted as standard and includes a distinctive transmission oil cooler. Customers can opt for a 10-speed automatic should they choose. The car also rocks brake cooling ducts, an auxiliary engine oil cooler, a rear axle cooler, and a unique radiator that is lighter and features more powerful cooling fans for improved cooling capabilities.

The alterations don’t stop there. MagneRide shocks will come fitted as standard to each and every Mustang Dark Horse to roll off the production line. These shocks can monitor wheel and tire movement 1,000 times per second to optimize performance. Complementing these shocks is a larger rear sway bar and 19-inch wheels that are 9.5-inches wide at the front and 10-inches at the rear, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires. Ford has also equipped the car with a strut tower brace and K-brace to improve handling. A set of 13.9-inch six-piston Brembo front brake calipers have also been included in the Dark Horse.

Those seeking even more performance will be able to opt for the Handling Package. It adds a unique rear wing with an integrated gurney flap, stiffer springs, larger front and rear sway bars, and unique 19-inch wheels with wider Pirelli Trofeo tires. Lightweight carbon fiber wheels will also be made available.

A number of visual alterations further differentiate the Dark Horse from lesser Mustang models. Up front, the headlights have been darkened while a new black grille has been installed. Additionally, the side skirts extend lower and there is also a new rear wing, diffuser, and darkened quad exhaust tips. New badges have also been designed, as has a new color dubbed Blue Ember metallic.

The interior also benefits from a number of upgrades. For example, the flat-bottomed steering wheel is now trimmed in suede and finished with bright Indigo Blue accent stitching while models equipped with the 10-speed auto receive anodized silver paddle shifters. Customers who order the Appearance Pack will also receive Deep Indigo Blue seats. A 12-speaker B&O audio system comes as standard.

“For decades, Mustang has competed against the most premium brands on the greatest world stages and won,” Ford chief executive Jim Farley described in a statement. “We surprised everyone, and we’re going to surprise them again with a track-capable Mustang that puts a new level of performance, styling and American engineering in the hands of everyday customers who still want the thrill and excitement of a V8 sports car.”

Ford has yet to announce pricing and availability details for the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse but it will likely start at around $60,000.

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• Ford hasn’t even hinted at the price of the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse. We expect it to start in the low $60,000 range.

Ford unveiled an all-new Mustang last night. Half an hour later, the Dark Horse came stalking.

A new Mustang always generates a stable full of new high-performance versions. But it’s always the same contenders. Shelby models. Bosses. Cobras. Bullitts. Ford says it’s been 21 years since it launched an entirely new Mustang special edition.

But here it is.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will be the most powerful Mustang on offer until the Shelby models start rolling out. It strikes a balance between speed and luxury and wraps it all in a sinister-looking package. Ford calls it “the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever.”

There are a lot of qualifiers in that boast, but it’s an impressive one all the same.

Few Performance Details for Now

The Dark Horse carries a version of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 found in the 2024 Mustang GT. The company hasn’t revealed power figures for the base car. But Ford calls the Dark Horse “the most powerful 5.0-liter V8 ever, projecting 500 horsepower.”

It uses a dual throttle-body intake and piston connecting rods borrowed from the 760-horsepower Mustang Shelby GT500.

A 6-speed TREMEC manual transmission is standard, with an oil cooler design unique to the Dark Horse. A 10-speed automatic is optional.

The Dark Horse, Ford says, “provides unique chassis tuning, larger rear sway bars, and heavy-duty front shocks.” The MagneRide suspension optional on other Mustangs is standard equipment here. A new lightweight strut tower brace and Torsen rear limited-slip differential enhance steering response.

It all rides on Pirelli P Zero tires, meaning both impressive grip and eye-popping tire replacement costs.

An available handling package does its job through added downforce, thanks to a Dark Horse-specific rear wing with an integrated Gurney flap.

Carbon fiber wheels will be available later in the production run.

Horse in Shadow

The Mustang Dark Horse leans into the dark-trim trend that has taken hold at nearly every automaker over the last two years.

It comes in just one color – Blue Ember metallic – with darkened headlight surrounds and huge trapezoidal air vents beside the glossy black grille. The Dark Horse used in press photos features a matte black decal on the hood scoop, which reduces glare and looks fantastic. But Ford says, “A choice of applied or painted feature graphics along the roof and down the hood are also available in a variety of colors and styles.”

Probably the best-looking exterior touch, though, is a set of badges unique to the model. Silver-on-black, they feature a horse’s stare so menacing that you could forget horses are twitchy prey animals. They’re prominent on the fenders, trunk, and door sills.

Indigo-on-Black Theme Inside

Inside, the most visceral change is a thicker, flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in real suede with indigo accent stitching. Automatic-equipped models get anodized silver paddle shifters.

That same blue accent stitching shows up on the door panels, seats, dash, and shift boot. Matching blue seatbelts complete the look. An optional Dark Horse appearance package adds Deep Indigo Blue seats.

All 2024 Mustangs pair a 12.4-inch digital driver’s screen with a 13.2-inch central touchscreen housed in a single shell, so they flow together like one screen.

A Bang & Olufsen 12-speaker premium sound system comes standard.

Track Versions Coming

Ford will offer two track-only versions at a later date. They include the Dark Horse S for hobbyists and the Dark Horse R for racing. Both come equipped with a safety cage, race seat, race steering wheel, fire suppression system, and just about everything else removed for weight savings. The R is distinguished by a race fuel system and serialization required by some race series.

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