The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse is 500 hp of awesome, but Ford Performance couldn’t leave well enough alone. As a result, they’ve created the all-new Dark Horse R. Purpose-built for the track, the Dark Horse R is a relatively affordable turn-key racer that starts at US$ 145,000 and can compete in the new Mustang Challenge. Details about the latter are still being finalized, but the series will be sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and have a dozen or so events at roughly six different tracks.
While that’s shockingly vague, the car
isn’t much of a surprise as it’s a track-focused model based on the standard
Dark Horse. However, there are a handful of telltale signs this isn’t your
typical pony car. Key among them are a Borla racing exhaust and 19-inch wheels
wrapped in specially developed Michelin racing slicks. The model also sports
red recovery hooks as crashing is in the Mustang DNA.
The cabin is a different story as the
stock interior has been gutted. As part of the makeover, the cabin has been
outfitted with a removable steering wheel, a roll cage, and Recaro racing seats
with a Sparco harness. Since the Dark Horse is already an impressive beast, the
performance upgrades aren’t as extensive as you’d think. In particular, there’s
a familiar six-speed manual and a lightly massaged 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that now
produces more than 500 hp.
That being said, there’s upgraded oil and
transmission coolers as well as a track-focused suspension that features
Multimatic DSSV dampers, adjustable anti-roll bars, and adjustable front camber
plates. On top of that, there are safety upgrades including a fire suppression
system and a fuel cell.
Sales and service will be handled by Multimatic,
which is already accepting inquiries.
