Ford Mustang Dark Horse R Takes The Pony Car To The Track

Ford Mustang has been the historic symbol of the quintessential American muscle car for the streets, with chops for some occasional action on the track. For the last 50-plus years, Mustangs meant for the race track have been bred under the Shelby or GT sub-brands, with the exception of the occasional Bullitt models. 

Today, however, the Mustang series is officially getting a rather unusual member in the form of the Dark Horse R, a Mustang "designed for track use only." This Mustang sports significant differences from another special racing-centric edition, the Dark Horse S, which is a relatively less beastly version only for the "weekend track day enthusiast."

Ford has been teasing Dark Horse R since the unveiling of the seventh-generation Mustang at the Detroit Motor Show in September 2022. Besides showcasing the standard 2024 GT and the EcoBoost variants, Ford stunned the audience by announcing a more muscular Dark Horse series, and promising a formal announcement during the "summer of 2023." That comes true today, with Ford adding crucial details about the pony car made for the race track.

The Mustang Dark Horse R uses the same underpinning as the base 2024 Mustang with modifications that tweak it for the tracks. As per Ford, it sits between the standard Dark Horse and the more hardcore racing stallions — GT3 and GT4.

The Mustang Dark Horse R packs the same 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine as the standard Dark Horse, the Mustang GT3, and the GT4. Ford did not reveal much about any specific optimizations, but the version seen on previous models can deliver more than 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque.

The newest race track pony also shares the Tremec six-speed manual transmission, Torsen limited-slip differential, and larger Brembo brakes with the other Dark Horse models. Besides the common features, the Dark Horse R is stripped of any unnecessary elements and comes with changes that prepare it for the track. These include all essential safety equipment, such as a safety cage and adjustable anti-roll bars, as well as FIA-certified seats, harnesses, and a safety net.

Ford endows the Dark Horse R with "beskope" wheels, chunkier than the standard Dark Horse. Set up in a staggered arrangement, the front wheels are 10.5 inches wide, while the ones at the rear end measure 11 inches. The company also claims improvements have been made to the oil system, as well as cooling systems for the transmission and the differential. In line with track-centric styling, the speedster also gets a rear spoiler, custom Borla exhaust, and tow hooks on both the front and the back.

The new racing-centric Mustang is also part of Ford's push for motorsports events. While the Mustang GT3 is already slated to mark Ford's return to the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in 2024, the Dark Horse R is Ford's poster child for a freshly-announced "Mustang Challenge." 

As per Ford, this is a racing event exclusively for Mustangs to participate in, sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The series is set to begin in 2024 and will allow not only professional racers, but also owners to test their resilience at some of North America's "most incredible tracks," says Mark Rushbrook, the global director for Ford Performance Motorsports.

Those thrilled with the idea of competing with professional racers will be happy to know that the Mustang Dark Horse R will be ready for delivery ahead of the Mustang Challenge in 2024. In terms of pricing, the Mustang Dark Horse R will set you aside a minimum of $145,000, about thrice as much as the standard variant Mustang.