2024 Ford Mustang GT 'First Timer' Drags S650 Dark Horse, Results Are Quite Surprising

The Coyote V8 models, the 2024 Ford Mustang GT, and Dark Horse are eerily close – one has up to 486 horsepower with the active valve exhaust, and the other rocks just 14 hp more for a grand total of 500 ponies. As such, if the pricing difference - $42,495 for the Fastback GT and $59,270 for the Dark Horse's starting MSRP – is no object of concern, then perhaps it's pretty hard to choose one or the other.

Well, if you're a famous YouTuber dedicated to all things Blue Oval, maybe you can have both. That's what StangMode did – his latest additions to the garage are a 'Papa Smurf' S650 Mustang GT and a darker Dark Horse. Now, the latter goes on a rampage at the Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, MD – and does so against a fellow S650 Ford Mustang GT.

One could say that it's not exactly fair to have an experienced drag racer like StangMode running against a lesser-powered car, even if the difference is minute. However, the rival in the other name is no slouch, either. Instead, his friend Mike Furman – aka Street Speed 717 – was invited to a quick pass at the strip in his latest acquisition, a yellow S650 Ford Mustang GT.

Do not think for a second that Mike is a newbie – he has had a humongous share of adventures with various models, though most of them happened off the beaten path rather than at the track. So, the advantage – ever so slightest – is for the Dark Horse, even though both cars arrived prepared at the dragstrip with performance wheels and tires. As such, don't be surprised when the action turns heated.

As it turns out, one doesn't really need the Dark Horse to achieve better ETs than a Ford Mustang GT – these two drivers certainly knew what they were doing, and Street Speed 717 actually got the better ET: 12.058s versus 12.073s! However, StangMode and his Dark Horse (knight) secured the ultimate victory – as proven by the track's lights because the racers also took into consideration the reaction times! By the way, the second video embedded below features Street Speed 717's perspective on the matter.

Interestingly, with stock Mustang GT and Dark Horse models – in the hands of talented drivers and with simple mods like new rims and drag tires, Ford is already approaching the 11-second quarter-mile barrier. Hopefully, we will soon get to experience some supercharged or turbocharged madness – that's when the S650 Mustang will shine brightly against the latest generation of quarter-mile dragstrip foes. Until then, it's clear that dedicated folks don't shy away from trying to achieve the threshold all on their own.