Around 70 percent of 2024 Ford Mustang orders are for V8-engined trims, namely the GT and more powerful Dark Horse. Late Model Restoration has recently taken delivery of a GT with the optional active exhaust, which enables a higher output than the standard exhaust setup.
According to Ford, the GT belts out 480 horsepower at 7,150 revolutions per minute and 415 pound-feet (563 Nm) at 4,900 revolutions per minute. As for the fancier exhaust, make that 486 horsepower at 7,500 spinnies and 418 pound-feet (567 Nm) at 4,900 spinnies. Of course, said numbers wouldn't have been possible without the dual throttle bodies of the fourth-generation Coyote V8.
With 93 octane in the fuel tank, approximately 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) on the clock, 3.15:1 gearing, and the 10R80 automatic transmission, Late Model Restoration's car lays down 420.4 horsepower at the rear wheels in fifth gear. Seventh would've been more appropriate for dyno testing because it's the 1:1 ratio, but alas, LMR couldn't dyno the 'Stang in seventh gear due to the engine speed limiter. Be that as it may, the dyno recorded 377.4 pound-feet (511.6 Nm) in seventh gear.
Late Model Restoration video production manager Landan Durham explains that LMR uses the SAE correction factor because it's more realistic than STD. It should also be mentioned that 420.4 wheel horsepower is 86.5 percent of the 486 crankshaft ponies estimated by Ford, which results in a drivetrain loss of 13.5 percent. Pretty good for a Mustang, let alone a heavy update of the sixth-gen 'Stang rather than a ground-up redesign.
The only S650 that stands out as being extremely different from the S550 is the Mustang GTD, a racecar-inspired fellow that packs a rear-mounted transaxle with eight forward ratios. The dual-clutch transmission is connected to the 5.2-liter supercharged V8 known as the Predator. As opposed to 760 horsepower in the Shelby GT500, the Mustang GTD makes around 800 ponies.
Assembled by Multimatic in Canada rather than Ford in Michigan, the Mustang GTD is also big on aero. What's more, the 345/30 by 20-inch tires up front and 325/30 by 20-inch tires out back are wider than the Shelby GT500's rubber boots. Equipped with adaptive spool valve dampers from – of course – Multimatic, the Mustang GTD will be offered for the 2025 model year in limited numbers. Anything between 1,000 and 2,000 units will be produced, with prices kicking off at circa $300,000.
As of August 2023, the Dark Horse is the most powerful and track-focused specification of the S650. Available exclusively as a fastback coupe, the 500-horsepower Dark Horse carries a sticker price of $59,270 (sans destination charge). Only available with the 10-speed automatic transmission, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost remains the most affordable choice in the lineup. The fastback is $30,920 at press time, whereas the convertible is $39k.
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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