Ford Releases More Details for Mustang Dark Horse UPDATED

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Set to saddle up atop the Mustang line when it appears in dealers this summer – well, until other variants inevitably appear, perhaps denoted by a name we won’t mention but starts with ‘S’ and ends in ‘helby’ – the Dark Horse will apparently also feature a raft of details not found on other trims.


And that paint? It’s actually Blue Ember – but we’re calling it Modern Mystichrome.


Fans of old-school Fords (hi, Sajeev!) often speak of Mystichrome in hushed tones generally reserved for talking about the secrets of the universe or Katy Perry’s [redacted]. This time around, Blue Ember metallic is described as a shade that features special effect pigments of deep blues infused with an amber hue to give it a highly dramatic color shift in different lights and angles. Good enough for us. With special effect pigments used in a higher volume than other paints to enhance the color by reflecting light, there’s a decent chance this hue will be a decently expensive option.

Ed. note -- Now that the Chicago Auto Show floor is open, we had the chance to get some pics. Sadly they are a bit blurry -- the lighting situation was not great.

Speaking of options, Ford will be offering a couple of go-faster painted stripes on the Dark Horse, apparently painted by hand in a specialized process different from other Mustang trims. Other vinyl graphics will be on tap, ones which can be layered in a festival of gloss black or so-called Tarnished Dark. Future bidders at Barrett-Jackson will need to pay attention.

Interior details will include the likes of a blue anodized shifter knob, a unique flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede, and bright blue stitching across items like the door panels and seats. We already knew the Dark Horse would have a huge expanse of integrated glass across its dashboard, housing an instrument cluster ahead of the driver and a 13.2-inch infotainment screen in the center stack. We’re looking forward to trying that Drift Brake, a feature that looks like a traditional handbrake lever but actually modulates the rear wheels to a full lock whilst in Track mode.

Ford promises the Dark Horse will be the most powerful naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 Mustang ever, delivering wild 500 horsepower, up from 486 ponies in the GT trim. Torque in both cars should be the same: 418 lb.-ft of twist.

[Image: Ford]


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Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • IBx1 IBx1 on Feb 09, 2023

    I'd much rather spend the money for nicer paint on Blue Ember than on a slightly different shade of light black metallic or gloss medium white like some German companies will charge.

  • Zipper69 Zipper69 on Feb 09, 2023

    Did I miss the posting that mentions PRICE ?

  • Redapple2 Love the wheels
  • Redapple2 Good luck to them. They used to make great cars. 510. 240Z, Sentra SE-R. Maxima. Frontier.
  • Joe65688619 Under Ghosn they went through the same short-term bottom-line thinking that GM did in the 80s/90s, and they have not recovered say, to their heyday in the 50s and 60s in terms of market share and innovation. Poor design decisions (a CVT in their front-wheel drive "4-Door Sports Car", model overlap in a poorly performing segment (they never needed the Altima AND the Maxima...what they needed was one vehicle with different drivetrain, including hybrid, to compete with the Accord/Camry, and decontenting their vehicles: My 2012 QX56 (I know, not a Nissan, but the same holds for the Armada) had power rear windows in the cargo area that could vent, a glass hatch on the back door that could be opened separate from the whole liftgate (in such a tall vehicle, kinda essential if you have it in a garage and want to load the trunk without having to open the garage door to make room for the lift gate), a nice driver's side folding armrest, and a few other quality-of-life details absent from my 2018 QX80. In a competitive market this attention to detai is can be the differentiator that sell cars. Now they are caught in the middle of the market, competing more with Hyundai and Kia and selling discounted vehicles near the same price points, but losing money on them. They invested also invested a lot in niche platforms. The Leaf was one of the first full EVs, but never really evolved. They misjudged the market - luxury EVs are selling, small budget models not so much. Variable compression engines offering little in terms of real-world power or tech, let a lot of complexity that is leading to higher failure rates. Aside from the Z and GT-R (low volume models), not much forced induction (whether your a fan or not, look at what Honda did with the CR-V and Acura RDX - same chassis, slap a turbo on it, make it nicer inside, and now you can sell it as a semi-premium brand with higher markup). That said, I do believe they retain the technical and engineering capability to do far better. About time management realized they need to make smarter investments and understand their markets better.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Off-road fluff on vehicles that should not be off road needs to die.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Saw this posted on social media; “Just bought a 2023 Tundra with the 14" screen. Let my son borrow it for the afternoon, he connected his phone to listen to his iTunes.The next day my insurance company raised my rates and added my son to my policy. The email said that a private company showed that my son drove the vehicle. He already had his own vehicle that he was insuring.My insurance company demanded he give all his insurance info and some private info for proof. He declined for privacy reasons and my insurance cancelled my policy.These new vehicles with their tech are on condition that we give up our privacy to enter their world. It's not worth it people.”
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