We’ve known for a few days now that Ford has something big planned for the Mustang at the Detroit Auto Show this month. Two new models from the Ford Racing department are expected, with rumors suggesting the Mustang Cobra or Boss nameplates would be making a comeback. Well, we now know what at least one of these models will be, thanks to a new teaser on the official Ford Mustang Instagram page. A more extreme, track-capable Dark Horse will be revealed tomorrow, and the spine-tingling sound bite shared by Ford suggests it’ll be supercharged.
An Unmistakable Soundtrack
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Other than the exclusive Mustang GTD, the last supercharged Ford Mustang you could buy from the factory was the Shelby GT500. But the current king of the Mustang lineup is the Dark Horse, which uses the brilliant 5.0-liter naturally aspirated Coyote V8 with 500 horsepower. It’s already available with a Handling Package, which adds revised chassis tuning, a performance rear spoiler, and adjustable strut top mounts, among other things. But the new Dark Horse we’ll set eyes on tomorrow, January 15, sounds like a different beast altogether.
Ford
The supercharger whine is obvious (you can listen to it here), and Ford calls this “the most advanced, powerful, and track-capable Dark Horse ever.” This suggests not only a lot more power, but a series of enhancements to improve the Mustang’s track credentials.
Ford already sells a supercharger kit for the Mustang GT and Dark Horse, which boosts outputs to 810 horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque. Those are the potential figures that are achievable in this track-ready Dark Horse.
Ford also has the 5.2-liter Predator supercharged V8 in the Mustang GTD, another possible powertrain choice that can also make over 800 hp.
Why Not Call It The Cobra?
Ford
The new supercharged Mustang would’ve been the ideal opportunity to bring back the Cobra name. Between 1993 and 2004, the supercharged Ford SVT Mustang Cobra from the SN95 generation sat above the GT and Mach 1, until the GT500 supplanted it. This teaser suggests the Cobra name won’t be used, and the new Dark Horse may very well take the place of the previous Shelby GT500, given the performance potential of a supercharged V8.
The teaser gives nothing else away, but we can expect the more powerful Dark Horse to be a pricey proposition. The normal Dark Horse already starts at $64,080, while adding the Handling Package adds another $5,495. If you want the supercharger kit, that’s another $10,500. All things considered, this new Dark Horse will likely cost in the region of $80,000 or more.
All will be revealed tomorrow.
