‘Son-of-GTD.’ Or maybe brother. That’s the shorthand, but the new Mustang Dark Horse SC confirms that Ford’s 911 GT3 RS-tilting monster Mustang was just the start. Who knew that the Blue Oval’s contemporary pony car could have this sort of bonkers bandwidth?
“To engineer Mustang Dark Horse SC, we tested alongside the Mustang GTD and GT4 at some of the most challenging tracks in the world, using those elite Mustangs as benchmarks,” Chief program engineer Arie Groeneveld says. “The result benefits from every hard-won lesson we’ve learned at the very top of the performance ladder.”
That ladder stretches so far you could use it to clean the windows in a Manhattan skyscraper. Ford Racing, newly emboldened by its relationship with the Red Bull Formula One empire, has taken all the world-class components available to it and done a remix. The engine is the same 5.2-liter supercharged V8 you’ll find in the GTD. We’re talking 804hp there, and Ford is keeping its powder dry for now on the SC’s power output. Pick a point equidistant between the Dark Horse’s 493hp and the GTD, and you’ll be in the SC ballpark, so let’s call it 700hp. (Maybe more, if you remember the outgoing GT500, which had 750hp—often more depending on which aftermarket tuner had its wicked way.) Whatever it is, this is very much internally combusting horsepower, with a sound to match. TopGear.com had a preview at Ford’s Detroit HQ and needed a small lie-down afterwards.
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“It’s a soundtrack that rival sports car makers have largely abandoned,” Ford says with some justification. This thing is L-O-U-D.
There’ll be a base SC, if we can call it that, and a Track Pack version, with Track Pack special editions kicking the whole thing off. Personalisation is a highly lucrative area for all high-end car makers, and Ford fancies a slice of that, too. But fear not, every Mustang Dark Horse features MagneRide dampers with the latest-gen hard- and software, firmer-rate springs, new front and rear knuckles, and modified front control arms. The rear suspension geometry has also been modified, and the steering rack and tie rods have been revised. The regular SC also has hefty Brembo brakes, with 419mm discs up front and six-piston calipers.
But it’s the Track Pack we want. The MagneRide is recalibrated and unsprung mass is reduced with the fitment of carbon-fiber wheels. They’re wrapped in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, 305/30 R20s at the front, 315/30 R20s at the rear for near supercar levels of traction, says Ford. The GTD’s five-stage variable traction control is here, with full ESC deactivation available should you wish to bonfire those pricey Michelins. Carbon-ceramic brakes are also part of the package, contributing to the Track Pack’s 68kg weight reduction compared to the base SC.
Neither it nor the Track Pack car is what you would term shrinking violets in terms of the visuals. They also manage to carve out yet another new, distinctive look for the Mustang, the American muscle car gift that keeps on giving. The SC seriously ramps up not just the dynamics but also the amount of punishment it can absorb on the track; most of the design overhaul is aimed at bullet-proofing it in this context.
The reworked front end—lead designer Aaron Walker describes it as sinister—delivers significantly improved engine and brake cooling. There’s also an aluminum hood with a massive vent. At the rear, there’s a chunky diffuser, underfloor cleverness, and an unapologetically vast rear wing. The Track Pack gains a ducktail on the edge of the trunklid, and carbon stanchions and end plates. The upshot is increased downforce, but the overall aero balance is aimed at promoting driver confidence. Even if the owner is a relative newcomer to this sort of high performance, as many Mustang owners are.
As noted, there’s plenty you can do with personalized paint jobs and interior trim, and the SC isn’t afraid to push the limits. As well as a carbon exterior package, how about a Teal Accent Package? Yeah, we know, but we’ve seen it, and it’s better than it sounds. The Track Pack Special Edition throws in a black-painted roof, Race Red brake calipers, and unique graphics, with the choice of Shadow Black or Oxford White exterior paint. For all its monumental performance, much of the Dark Horse’s appeal resides in the detail and the street cred it generates. The configurator beckons…
“The GTD, we know, is off the scale in terms of capability, but we identified some clear space between it and the Dark Horse,” says Groeneweld. “I can’t confirm where the SC sits on the spectrum, in terms of power output or price, but it certainly doesn’t cannibalise the GTD, I can tell you that. The SC could be a daily driver, and the Track Pack is obviously more circuit-oriented. The thing I’m most satisfied with is how we’ve delivered a level of track endurance for this car while maintaining a Mustang look.”
More photos of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
