BLACK STALLION

THE DARK HORSE RISES AS THE FASTEST 5-OH

- FRANK MARKUS

Ford hasn't introduced a new named subbrand variant of its pioneering pony car since the Bullitt edition first appeared for 2001. The seventh-generation Mustang ends this long drought with the powerful Mustang Dark Horse. This is no mere appearance package with cold-air induction good for a handful of extra ponies and pound-feet; the Dark Horse represents a serious performance upgrade that lays the foundation for Ford's combustion-vehicle racing efforts. The latter will range from amateur classes up through global GT4, GT3, NHRA, Australian Supercars, and NASCAR (see page 36). In so doing, Dark Horse is itself a small family of hotter fastback Mustangs, with an offering of optional performance upgrades to suit customers' personal needs for speed, style, and comfort.

The gen-IV Coyote V-8 found in the base 2024 Mustang begins with myriad revisions to ensure emissions compliance in all applications, as well as performance enhancements relative to similar V-8s powering the workaday F-150. The enhancements include a twin throttle-body cold-air intake and a higher-revving valvetrain that doesn't support cylinder deactivation. To this basis, the Dark Horse adds a forged crankshaft and piston connecting rods to cope with higher cylinder pressures and piston speeds. These items are like those found in the Shelby GT500's supercharged Predator engine. The camshafts are strengthened to withstand extended operation nearer the 7,500-rpm redline (shared with GT, and up from the F-150's 6,700 rpm). There are auxiliary coolers for the engine oil and rear axle lube, plus a lighter-weight, higher-efficiency radiator cooled by more powerful fans, all meant to improve endurance in hard running. Naturally, the GT's optional active exhaust is standard, offering Quiet, Normal, Sport, and Track settings. Final testing isn't complete, but the target was 100 hp/liter. (You do the math.)