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The sporty car with all-terrain capability isn't a new concept. Porsche and Lamborghini are doing exactly that with their 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato. According to a fresh report, Ford wants in with a Raptor-badged variant of the Mustang, due sometime in 2026.
The last sentence is a sacrilege in and of itself. A Mustang that can venture off the beaten path? The Raptor nameplate applied to a unibody? That's a lot for Mustang and Raptor loyalists to accept as is, but on the other hand, the cited report may hold water as well.
For starters, both the 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato command incredible money. Limited to 2,500 units for the entire world, the Porker costs a staggering $222,000 in the United States at press time. It packs the 473-horsepower engine of the Carrera GTS, which is $150,900 sans destination charge and optional extras.
The Huracan Sterrato is a bit more special. Rather than six horizontally-opposed cylinders augmented by a pair of spinny lads, the Lamborghini comes with a naturally-aspirated V10 that sounds like internal combustion heaven. That engine, however, is going the way of the dodo for a twin-turbo V8 capable of 10,000 spinnies.
Car & Driver estimates a much lower starting price for the Mustang Raptor, namely $90,000 or thereabout. Estimated to hit dealerships for the 2026 model year in limited numbers, the Mustang Raptor is expected with Fox dampers, a 2.0-inch lift, and a set of A/T rubber.
The all-wheel drive seems a bit of a stretch yet doable, but Car & Driver is adamant that a two-speed transfer case isn't on the menu. No manual either. Instead, look forward to a tried-and-tested automatic with 10 forward gears. The 10R80 is one of the better automatics out there, although the ZF 8HP still is the yardstick for torque-converter trannies.
The cited publication speculates that Ford is going to launch a Raptor R version of the Mustang as well, expected with a price tag of approximately $110,000. The Dark Horse's 5.0-liter Coyote is the most likely culprit in the Raptor. The Raptor R is rumored with the 5.2-liter Predator, an engine that's due minor updates for the 2026 model year Shelby GT500. The Shelby-branded version has been recently spied with a power soft top rather than a fixed metal roof, which is intriguing, to say the least.
Between the 500-horsepower Dark Horse and far more potent Shelby GT500, the Ford Motor Company is planning a road-going take on a racing car. In March 2023, chief executive officer Jim Farley took to Twitter to ask if the Dearborn-based automaker should make a Mustang GT3 entitled to wear a license plate. Whatever it may be called, the Mustang GT3 is expected to serve as the successor to the Shelby GT350. With a bit of luck, it might receive the racecar's 5.4-liter Coyote V8 mill.
For starters, both the 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato command incredible money. Limited to 2,500 units for the entire world, the Porker costs a staggering $222,000 in the United States at press time. It packs the 473-horsepower engine of the Carrera GTS, which is $150,900 sans destination charge and optional extras.
The Huracan Sterrato is a bit more special. Rather than six horizontally-opposed cylinders augmented by a pair of spinny lads, the Lamborghini comes with a naturally-aspirated V10 that sounds like internal combustion heaven. That engine, however, is going the way of the dodo for a twin-turbo V8 capable of 10,000 spinnies.
Car & Driver estimates a much lower starting price for the Mustang Raptor, namely $90,000 or thereabout. Estimated to hit dealerships for the 2026 model year in limited numbers, the Mustang Raptor is expected with Fox dampers, a 2.0-inch lift, and a set of A/T rubber.
The all-wheel drive seems a bit of a stretch yet doable, but Car & Driver is adamant that a two-speed transfer case isn't on the menu. No manual either. Instead, look forward to a tried-and-tested automatic with 10 forward gears. The 10R80 is one of the better automatics out there, although the ZF 8HP still is the yardstick for torque-converter trannies.
The cited publication speculates that Ford is going to launch a Raptor R version of the Mustang as well, expected with a price tag of approximately $110,000. The Dark Horse's 5.0-liter Coyote is the most likely culprit in the Raptor. The Raptor R is rumored with the 5.2-liter Predator, an engine that's due minor updates for the 2026 model year Shelby GT500. The Shelby-branded version has been recently spied with a power soft top rather than a fixed metal roof, which is intriguing, to say the least.
Between the 500-horsepower Dark Horse and far more potent Shelby GT500, the Ford Motor Company is planning a road-going take on a racing car. In March 2023, chief executive officer Jim Farley took to Twitter to ask if the Dearborn-based automaker should make a Mustang GT3 entitled to wear a license plate. Whatever it may be called, the Mustang GT3 is expected to serve as the successor to the Shelby GT350. With a bit of luck, it might receive the racecar's 5.4-liter Coyote V8 mill.
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