FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

Time's up for atmo-V8-engined, rear-driven, manual-shift muscle cars, right? Wrong

- ANDREW FRANKEL

TESTED 27.7.23, NORTH CAROLINA, US ON SALE NOW

You would have thought that of all the things in the world the new Ford Mustang didn't need, it was a new name tag. After Boss, Mach 1, Bullitt and Shelbys GT350 and GT500, surely there were enough. Apparently not. Welcome, then, the new Dark Horse. I know... And if that's not confusing enough, there are the differences between Mustangs with Performance Packs, those with Handling Packs and the variants sold in the US and those heading in our direction.

I will try my best to clear the fog for you. Right now, the Dark Horse is the only tuned version of the Mk7 Mustang. Shelbys will definitely come, as may some or more of the aforementioned others, but that's all for the future. And when I say Mk7 Mustang, read heavily facelifted Mk6 Mustang, whose standout feature, common to all 'Stangs, is a much improved (but still hardly plush) interior with two large digital screens where once there were real instruments.

The Dark Horse will cost around £61k, adding about £10k to the price of the standard GT when both go on sale in the UK early next year.

There's no four-cylinder turbo version of either car. I'm over it too.