There is a new pony car on everyone's lips these days: the 2024 Ford Mustang. Sure, it was unveiled last year, but the deliveries only recently commenced, and with that, a plethora of videos has started hitting the World Wide Web.
We've seen the new-gen muscle car from the Dearborn company doing its thing in the first hands-on reviews. We've also seen the range-topping flavor of the car, aka the Dark Horse, on the dyno, but is this trim actually any good down the quarter mile?
It obviously depends on its rival, and in this instance, it was pinned against the old Shelby. We're not talking about the range-topping Shelby GT500 but the lesser GT350. This model was unveiled at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show prior to the more hardcore GT350R, and six years later, it left the assembly line for good.
Like its more track-focused sibling, which adds the R to its suffix, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 uses a 5.2-liter V8. It produces 526 horsepower (534 ps/392 kW) and 429 pound-feet (582 Nm) of torque. Everything is deployed to the rear axle via a six-speed manual transmission.
Do you know what else comes with three pedals and a stick shift with six gears? Yep, that would be the all-new Dark Horse variant of the 2024 Ford Mustang (and the GT). This model uses a 5.0-liter V8 engine, identical to the one powering the GT, and it rocks a bit more power at 500 hp (507 ps/373 kW) and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm).
Therefore, the old Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the new Mustang Dark Horse are evenly matched, and given the enhancements of the 2024 model, the balance should tilt in its favor. But can it really stand its ground against the sportier yet older variant? That's certainly a tricky one, as the GT350 does hold the upper ground in terms of sheer power, but not by much.
Answering this question was StangMode on YouTube with a video that is 10 minutes long and shows the two going head-to-head in a few drag races hosted on a closed course. Embedded at the bottom of the page, it reveals the differences between the two generation Mustangs in terms of straight-line sprints.
So, can the new Mustang Dark Horse beat the previous Shelby GT350, or is the old one still the boss in this chapter? The answer may surprise you, but we won't reveal it, as it is one mouse click away. We will end this story by asking you which of the two you'd buy for roughly $60k. Would it be the new and more frugal one or a used copy of the GT350 that is thirstier, though way cooler?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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