autoevolution
 

New Ford Mustang Dark Horse Spied Testing at the Nurburgring Together With Old Mach 1

Codenamed S650, the Ford Motor Company's redesigned Mustang has been recently spied testing at the Nurburgring. Rather than a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder model, the pony car in question is the most performance-oriented 'Stang available today. Ford has also brought an S550-gen Mach 1 to the racetrack, likely benchmarking the newcomer against it.
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing 19 photos
Photo: Shmee150 / edited
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Nurburgring testing2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Both cars wear license plates beginning with the letter K, which stands for Koln. Referred to as Cologne in English-speaking countries, Koln is the home of Cologne Body and Assembly Plant. As you're well aware, Cologne is where Ford produces the soon-to-be-discontinued Fiesta. Production is expected to end in June 2023, making room for the Explorer EV the United States and Canadian markets will never get.

Internally referred to as CX740, the upcoming Explorer EV doesn't have anything in common with the internal combustion-engined Explorer other than blue oval badges. Due to arrive at European dealers by December 2023, the newcomer is based on the Volkswagen MEB platform of the Volkswagen ID.4 compact crossover. By comparison, the Explorer is a mid-size affair that uses the CD6 platform.

Turning our attention back to the best-selling pony car of them all, the Mustang for the European market isn't as powerful as the Mustang for North America. The final numbers are not available yet. Similar to the S550, the S650's full potential is hampered by Euro-specific emission regulations. More specifically, gasoline particulate filters will inevitably result in less power and torque as opposed to the USDM version.

Be that as it may, Ford's press materials hint at a drop in fuel economy for the V8-engined GT trim level. The 5.0-liter mill is anticipated to use 19.9 miles per gallon UK (14.2 liters per 100 kilometers) as opposed to 22.8 miles per gallon UK (12.39 liters per 100 kilometers) for the outgoing model. Given that we're not dealing with a big difference in terms of curb weight, it's pretty obvious that a bigger punch is on the menu.

That punch is different in terms of hardware as well because Ford has worked its magic on the Coyote. Said engine now comes with dual throttle bodies and intakes, and that's not all. Stepping up to the Dark Horse gets you some upgraded internals (such as Shelby GT500-sourced connecting rods).

Only the GT and Mach 1-replacing Dark Horse can be specified with a manual, with the row-your-own transmission in the GT coming from Getrag and the manual in the Dark Horse coming from Tremec. The 2.3-liter EcoBoost is connected exclusively to Ford's very own 10-speed auto.

As with the S550, the S650 was designed from the outset with global markets in mind. The Ford Motor Company intends to sell the S650 in more than 100 markets worldwide. However, quality and supply chain woes need to be addressed first.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories