WITH sinister looks, tailored aerodynamics and a specially-tuned Coyote 5.0-litre V8 engine, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse sets a new benchmark for American street and track performance that could only come in a Mustang.
The Dark Horse, now available at southern African dealerships, is the first new Mustang performance series to be launched in more than two decades, and expands the seventh-generation Mustang line-up with an even more thrilling and driver-focused version of one of the world’s most iconic cars. The last new performance series introduced for the Mustang was the original Bullitt, launched in 2001 for the fourth-generation model in the US.
A special team of Ford engineers, designers and experts worked for more than three years to create the first-ever Mustang Dark Horse, a street and track-capable performance Mustang with striking visual cues and all the capability sports car lovers expect.
“The seventh-generation Mustang builds on the proud heritage and iconic status of this legendary model over the past 60 years, while the Mustang Dark Horse elevates the performance and driving experience to even greater heights,” said Sunil Sewmohan, executive director, Product Marketing at Ford South Africa. “The Mustang Dark Horse is an exclusive model that looks mean and purposeful, and delivers the thrill and excitement of a thoroughbred V8 sports car, whether driving it on the road or taking it to the track,” Sewmohan said. “As the halo model in the Mustang line-up, the Dark Horse will be a more exclusive offering for our enthusiast customers in South Africa, but it forms part of our normal Mustang line-up, and is not a limited-run or special edition version.”
Unique 5.0-litre V8
The foundation for Mustang Dark Horse starts with the new seventh-generation Mustang, which has been transformed with a digitally-immersive cockpit, a new V8 engine and styling to make it the most exhilarating and fun-to-drive Mustang ever.
“We’ve taken the new Mustang, the best of our new 5.0-litre V8 performance, and added power, improved the aerodynamics, tyres and steering. We also provided an interactive cockpit to create a Mustang that goes beyond any 5.0-litre Mustang before it,” Sewmohan said.
The heart of Mustang Dark Horse is its unique 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine, specially-modified with piston-connecting rods first introduced in the 760-horsepower (560kW) Ford Performance Mustang Shelby GT500. This results in peak power of 334kW of power (6kW more than the new Mustang GT), and 540Nm of torque.
Visually differentiated from any 5.0-litre V8 before it, Mustang Dark Horse includes a dual throttle-body intake design to improve engine breathing, accentuated by the open nostrils in the front grille. Mustang Dark Horse comes standard with Ford’s advanced 10-speed automatic transmission, with sport paddle shifters for fast and precise shifting – from the highway to the race circuit.
Additional powertrain enhancements were made for performance at the track. Mustang Dark Horse includes brake cooling NACA ducts, an auxiliary engine oil cooler, a rear axle cooler and a unique and lighter-weight radiator with improved cooling capability and more powerful cooling fans to improve endurance and recovery.
The Mustang Dark Horse provides unique chassis tuning, larger rear sway bars and heavy-duty front shocks. Stopping is courtesy of Brembo six-piston callipers with 390mm ventilated discs in front, complemented by Brembo four-piston callipers and 355mm ventilated discs at the rear. Steering response and grip are further enhanced with a new lightweight Ford Performance-designed strut tower brace and K-brace for even better handling and feedback.
As with the Mustang GT, the innovative Performance Electronic Parking Brake is fitted as standard. It unlocks the rear-wheel drive drifting capability of Mustang with the visual appeal and functionality of a traditional, mechanical handbrake.
Another unique Mustang feature is Remote Rev, which debuted on the GT. Linked to the Active Valve Performance Exhaust, the owner can rev the engine from outside the car using the key. This feature will only activate once the engine has reached optimal operating temperature after a cold start. It will initially rev to 2 000 r/min to indicate the feature is active. Thereafter, once the Remote Rev function is activated, the engine will rev three times, increasing in revs up to 5 000 r/min.
Driver-focused
The Dark Horse infuses even more performance style and functionality into the seventh-generation Mustang’s technologically-advanced, driver-centric cockpit. A thicker, flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede and finished with Bright Indigo Blue accent stitching incorporates anodised silver paddle shifters. A dedicated Drive Mode button is at thumb’s reach, allowing drivers to quickly choose the desired driving setup. This sits in front of a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with customisable screens, including a variety of drive modes: Normal, Sport, Slippery, Drag, Track, plus a customisable setting with up to six individual profiles. Each mode features corresponding high-fidelity graphics in the digital instrument panel.