The seventh generation of the long-running Mustang is – most likely – the final one to sport internal combustion engines. Three powerplants have been confirmed thus far: 2.3-liter EcoBoost (completely reworked for the S650), 5.0-liter Coyote (slightly revised), and 5.2-liter Predator (also revised).
Pictured at the Pennzoil Proving Grounds at Lonestar Motorsports Park in Texas, the 2024 models in the clip below are both powered by the fourth-gen Coyote. How does it differ from the previous one?
First and foremost, popping the hood reveals dual air intakes and matching throttle bodies. The sixth-gen Mustang used a single 80-millimeter throttle body in GT flavor, 87 for the Mach 1 and Shelby GT350 twins, and 92 for the no-nonsense Shelby GT500.
The GT and Dark Horse both flaunt 80-millimeter units for 2024, meaning that more air gets into the cylinders for more power. The boring stuff doesn't end here, though, because there are minor differences between the GT- and Dark Horse-spec Coyote V8s.
For starters, the Dark Horse uses forged piston connecting rods (first introduced in the S550-gen Shelby GT500). It further sweetens the deal with a uniquely balanced crankshaft and stronger cams for extended operation at high engine speeds. How high? Think 7,500 revolutions per minute for the 10-speed automatic or 7,250 for the manual. Ford has yet to explain why the manual is limited by software to said engine speed, which also happens to be where the Dark Horse makes the advertised 500 ponies.
Torque peaks at 4,900 revolutions per minute to the tune of 418 pound-feet (567 Nm), mirroring the GT with the optional active-valve exhaust system. The GT in the featured video doesn't have said exhaust, hence the dual outlets rather than quad tailpipes.
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
Even so, it's anything but a base GT. According to Texas-based tuner and hypercar manufacturer Hennessey Performance Engineering, we're looking at a GT Premium ($47,015 starting price) with the 10-speed auto ($1,595 option), and GT Performance Pack (another $4,995 on top of the aforestated).
Without the fancy exhaust, its dual-throttle-body engine belts out a respectable 480 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (563 Nm) at full chatter. As for the decidedly better-looking Dark Horse, this particular example is a Dark Horse Premium ($63,265) with the 10-speed auto ($1,595), Dark Horse Handling Package ($4,995), and Dark Horse Appearance Package ($1,500). Indeed, it's quite a pricey spec!
Both 'Stangs had gone through the automaker's recommended break-in process, and they're also stock. For the time being, that is, because Hennessey intends to modify them both. The Dark Horse, for example, can be taken to a delicious 850 ponies and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of tire-shredding torque by means of Hennessey's H850 supercharged upgrade.
That said, it's pretty obvious which one asserts dominance from a dig and a roll. With both weighing roughly the same and sporting the same FoMoCo-developed transmission, the additional 20 horsepower of the Dark Horse make a world of difference in a straight line. Also remember that the Dark Horse Handling Package automatically means Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber boots, high-performance tires that are shared with – get this – the incredibly beautiful Pagani Utopia hypercar ($2.2 million).
The question, however, is which of these apparently similar machines do you fancy more for dailying?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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