2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Spied Testing at Nurburgring
The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse seen here was being benchmarked against the S550-generation Mach 1.
With 2024 Ford Mustang production officially underway following some delays due to quality control efforts, customers are eagerly awaiting the delivery of their next-generation S650 pony car. For now, the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse represents the range-topping variant, the most powerful and stylish pony car of the bunch with the highest price tag, to boot. However, this distinctly American ride will also be sold in other parts of the world – including Europe – which is precisely where mega-popular YouTuber Tim Burton – or “Shmee”, as he’s otherwise known – spotted the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse out on the legendary Nurburgring.
Interestingly, the Dark Horse wasn’t the only car The Blue Oval was testing out on this particular day in Germany. It was joined by an S550-generation Mach 1, most likely because FoMoCo was benchmarking the new car against the old one. After all, the Dark Horse is essentially an evolution of the Mach 1, a naturally-aspirated, track-focused machine. Thus, it makes perfect sense to take it to one of the greatest tracks this planet has to offer.
The Mustang Dark Horse utilizes a newer version of the Mach 1’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8, one stuffed with goodies such as connecting rods taken from the S550-gen GT500 and a dual throttle-body intake design, which helps it generate an even 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque. That power flows to the rear wheels via a unique Tremec six-speed manual transmission with a special oil cooler or the 10-speed automatic transmission with sport paddle shifters, as well as a Torsen rear differential.
Since this is a track-focused car, Ford put extra effort into keeping temps down in the new Dark Horse by adding 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.
Underneath, the Dark Horse utilizes unique chassis tuning, larger rear sway bars, and heavy-duty front shocks, while 19-inch Brembo front six-piston brakes with 13.9-inch rotors handle stopping duels. Steering response and grip is further enhanced with a new lightweight strut tower brace and K-brace, while standard MagneRide shocks balance performance with comfort.
The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse is certainly a capable machine on paper, though it’s unclear if The Blue Oval will release any sort of official Nurburgring lap time. Regardless, it’s still pretty cool to see the new pony car out there on the iconic circuit in any capacity, even if it is just solely for testing purposes.
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