Snorting and pawing at the front of the seventh generation Ford Mustang pack is the sinister looking Dark Horse. This thoroughbred Mustang has been bred for the track from some of the top bloodstock out of the Flat Rock, Michigan Ford plant.
A special team of Ford engineers, designers and experts, headed by Laurie Transou, the Chief Program Engineer for Mustang, worked for more than three years to create Mustang Dark Horse, a street-and track-capable performance Mustang with the capability sports car lovers expect. ‘Dark Horse’ is the first new performance nameplate for over 20 years and Ford wants customers to hold it with the same high regard as the greats that have become before it and to say they were around when the Dark Horse was released. There’s just 1,000 units coming to Australia and they are already sold out, so you may be lucky enough to see one on our roads very soon.
Mustang Dark Horse carries the most striking visual cues of any new road-going Mustang. At the front, a bold, shadow graphic surrounds the darkened LED headlamps, which compliments a unique, gloss black grille with trapezoidal nostrils and Mustang Dark Horse-unique lower front bumper with high gloss ‘fangs.’ Lower side skirts and a fixed rear wing, new race-inspired diffuser and darkened quad exhaust tips demonstrate the car’s track-focused design cues. This exclusive colour is called Blue Ember and has been chosen by 60% of Dark Horse customers in Australia. The the roof is finished in Black Onyx paint with over-the-top stripes.
But arguably the most significant external change on the Dark Horse is the forward-facing horse on the badge that’s really quite angry-looking and a first for Mustang. The badges are placed on the front quarters, boot and door sills, while a dark, anodised version of the famous pony stays on the front. Inside, unique Mustang Dark Horse badging is featured on the instrument panel and digital display screens, and each car is identified with an individual chassis number.
At the heart of Mustang Dark Horse is the highly tuned 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine, which pumps out an exhilarating 350kW @ 7,250rpm and 550Nm @ 4,850rpm. The new Gen-IV version of this iconic powerplant is best in class for naturally aspirated V8s and has improved air induction with segment-first dual throttle body design. The standard cast aluminum block and head with plasma transfer wire arc cylinder liners and steel oil pan has forged connecting rods from the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in the Dark Horse version. The Mustang Dark Horse can do 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds according to Ford HQ.
The Mustang Dark Horse either comes with the six-speed TREMEC manual transmission that’s used in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, which 48% of customers have gone for. Or Ford’s advanced 10-speed automatic transmission with sport paddle shifters for fast and precise shifting that the majority of customers have selected.
The final drive ratios in the Mustang GT, which has the standard limited-slip rear axle, are 3.15:1 for the automatic and 3.55:1 for the manual transmission. Whereas in the Dark Horse with the TORSEN Limited Slip Diff, which allows the Dark Horse to put torque down without losing traction, it’s 3.55:1 for the automatic and 3.73:1 for the manual. Looking more closely at drive ratios of the Getrag MT-82 in the GT compared to the TREMEC TR-3160 in the Dark Horse for each gear shows the difference in the gearing ratios with the figure for fourth gear in the Getrag being the same as that of fifth gear in the TREMEC.
What does this all mean you ask? Well at the Australia launch of seventh generation Mustang I had the opportunity to drive the GT manual and Dark Horse manual back-to-back on the West Circuit of The Bend Motorsport Park to get a real feel for the difference between the two. The amazing high-rpm shifting TREMEC allowed me to select gears easier and I was able to hold a gear longer or even be in a gear higher for some corners on the track compared to the GT. I also noted that the gearbox wouldn’t let me change when I was over enthusiastic coming into a braking point until the engine revs were within a pre-determined range. The down-side of this track-focused gearbox will be that you are likelier to be busier changing gears on the road.
Several powertrain enhancements were made for performance at the track. Mustang Dark Horse receives auxiliary brake cooling ducts, a transmission cooler for the manual and rear axle cooler to improve endurance and recovery. This is on top of the new air-to-engine oil cooler, improved air flow, more efficient radiator and more powerful cooling fan (Trans cooler with ATX) that had already been developed on the Gen IV Coyote.
The Mustang Dark Horse has unique chassis tuning including stiffer front springs, and unique sway bar and toe link. It also comes with the uniquely tuned MagneRide shocks capable of monitoring wheel and tyre movement 1,000 times per second, which optimises performance based on road surface or driving mode.
Blue-painted Brembo brake calipers replace the standard, black-painted calipers on the Dark Horse and distinctive alloy wheels 19×9.5” fronts and 19×10” rears with Pirelli P Zero tyres. There’s 390 x 36 mm vented two-piece discs made from low-metallic brake material with Brembo six piston 36 mm fixed aluminum calipers on the front and 355 x 28 mm vented discs, four-piston 30 mm fixed aluminum calipers on the rear and for my laps of The Bend I didn’t notice any brake fade. The track use only drift brake is also standard on Dark Horse and it’s very entertaining to use as I got to find out on the skidpan in the GT and Ecoboost Mustangs.
Galloping down the front straight of The Bend Circuit the V8 roars as I hit 200km/h and listening to others doing the same I also noted the Dark Horse has a louder chunkier exhaust note compared to the GT. My laps of The Bend racetrack were well within the limits of the Mustang Dark Horse and this was indicated on the in-car trace information that I was able to analyse at the end of the session. My main issues were, I wasn’t putting my foot down hard enough out of the corners and wasn’t braking hard enough into them. When I look back at my on-board video, I barely get the tyres moving around, but I still had loads of fun and learnt a lot from my time on the track in the Dark Horse.
I was very happy that my last lap was my best lap, because in my defence this was the first time, I had ever driven a manual car on a racetrack. It certainly adds an extra dimension of thought processing required, rather than just pointing and squirting out of corners in vehicle with a flappy paddle gearbox. There are several built-in Track apps available on the Mustang and these include acceleration timer, brake performance, lap timer, performance shift indicator (manual only), drift brake, line lock, launch control (manual only), and rev matching (manual only).
The Mustang Dark Horse infuses even more performance, style and functionality into the all-new seventh-generation car’s technologically advanced, driver-centric interior. Step over the ‘Dark Horse’ scuff plate to a cabin with bright Indigo Blue stitching across the door panels, seats, and centre console that’s combined with dark blue seatbelts. The leather and Dinamica covered Recaro seats are Black Onyx and Deep Indigo Blue with a distinctive seat perforations that emit further hints of blue below the surface. The interior trim, bezels and vents are finished in Black Alley, a dark metallic gloss replacing the familiar bright silver shades of other Mustang trim levels and finally the manual gear knob is finished in Titanium Indigo.
A leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel features microsuede inserts and is finished with Bright Indigo Blue accent stitching. Anodised silver paddle shifters are integrated on 10-speed automatic transmission equipped cars, while a dedicated drive mode button is at thumb’s reach, allowing drivers to quickly choose the desired driving setup. The six selectable drive modes available are normal, sport, slippery, track, drag strip, custom.
All new Ford vehicles sold in Australia receive a 5 years/unlimited kilometre warranty. The Ford warranty covers defects in factory materials and workmanship under “normal use and operation” within Australia. Therefore, given that Ford Australia advertise track use as normal use and operation, the warranty will not be voided if a customer uses their Mustang on the track. A Ford Spokesperson added,
“However, there are limits. Unreasonable or excessive track use, or exceeding the operating limitations of the vehicle (i.e., abuse of the vehicle) will not be covered. In any given case where there is track use and a subsequent warranty claim due to a failed part an assessment would need to be made as to whether the driver abused the vehicle (not covered) or operated it within its limitations (covered).”
The service interval for the Dark Horse Mustang is 12 months or every 15,000km, whichever occurs first. For MY2024 or later builds, the most an eligible customer will pay is $379 for the first four general services for up to 4 years or 60,000kms, whichever occurs first. By servicing through the Ford dealer network, you also receive 12 months State Auto Club membership and Roadside Assistance.
When the sold-out Ford Mustang Dark Horse was initially offered for sale, the pricing for the TREMEC six-speed manual transmission version was $99,102 plus on-road costs and the automatic was $103,002 plus on-roads. But, if you missed on the Mustang Dark Horse and your still keen to get your hands on one, may I suggest a Lego Mustang Dark Horse instead?
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.