Someone Is Trying To Cash in Early and Already Selling a Brand-New Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Ford came up with the Dark Horse as the first new Mustang nameplate since the Bullit back in 2001. They put the 5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine under the hood, but with a twist: a unique crankshaft and forged piston connecting rods carried over from the sixth-generation Shelby GT 500. The Dark Horse came to close the gap between the Mach 1 and the now-discontinued GT350.

The engine delivers 500 horsepower (507 PS), which is 14 horsepower (14 PS) more than what the GT can give. And to make it a driver’s car, Ford brought a Tremec six-speed manual transmission alongside the ten-speed auto gearbox. The manual box of the Dark Horse is different from the Getrag-sourced unit of the GT.

One of these wild Ford Mustang Dark Horses is already for sale as the owner seems to try to cash in early and admits that only bought the car for resale. Selling might turn out to be quite a headache since Ford is still selling the Dark Horse, and there aren't any delivery issues that we know of.

The Ford Mustang Dark Horse comes in Carbonized Gray Metallic paintwork and sports Dark Tarnished-finished vinyl hood stripes. That is where the trapezoidal air intakes breathe the air into the V8. It is equipped with a front splitter, lower side skirts, forward-facing badges, and, at the rear, there are darkened quad-exhaust outlets in the company of the taillights. The rear spoiler and, when active, the LED taillights with sequential turn signals get all the attention back there.

The model rides on matching dark tarnished-finished ten-spoke 19-inch wheels with 225/40 Pirelli P Zero tires on the front axle and 275/40 at the rear. Six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo calipers in Grabber Blue provide the stopping power.

Brake-cooling NACA ducts and the electronic Drift Brake are on this Mustang Dark Horse, just like on any other of its Dark Horse siblings. When it is turned on, the Drift Brake overrides stability control and locks the rear brakes with hydraulic line pressure. It is a system that imitates that of the pro drift cars without having an actual mechanical lever. It also sports the MagneRide damping system for upgraded maneuverability in cornering.

Rain-sensing windshield wipers and heated side mirrors are on the menu, as well as the Dark Horse puddle lamps. There are Recaro seats at the front, wrapped in black leather with microsuede inserts and contrasting blue accent stitching. The theme extends to the dashboard, center console, and door panels.

The future owner is getting a 4G WiFi hotspot, a wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a universal garage door opener. Ford Track Apps, a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, and the SYNC 4 infotainment system with navigation splayed on a 13.2-inch touchscreen slightly angled towards the driver are also in the cabin.

Meanwhile, the heated flat-bottomed steering wheel in leather in microsuede with blue stitching and the anodized silver paddle shifters enhance the feeling that you are dealing with a pure sports car. Behind these, there is the configurable 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with dials for speed, rpms, and other relevant data regarding driving.

There are only 110 miles (161 kilometers) on the odometer. And only 75 (128 kilometers) of them were added by the seller. There is also a plaque on the passenger-side dashboard that confirms that it is a Mustang Dark Horse with chassis number R2082.

Ford retuned the 5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine for some extra oomph. Under the carbon-look engine cover, there is a forged crankshaft and connecting rods, a dual throttle-body intake design, an auxiliary engine oil cooler, a lightweight radiator with improved cooling fans, and increased spark timing.

With both the ten-speed automatic and the six-speed manual available in the lineup, the owner ticked the automatic option. With this setup, the Mustang Dark Horse does the 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) run in 3.7 seconds, being 0.4 seconds faster than the one with the manual box. This one right here runs the quarter mile in 12.0 seconds.

There is also a Torsen limited-slip differential involved in this equation with a 3.55:1 gearing. The car left the factory in Detroit, Michigan, with a rear axle cooler and active valve performance exhaust system.

The car was originally delivered to Parks Ford of Kernersville in North Carolina with a price of $68,300, manufacturer’s literature and various accessories are included in the price. The 2023 model has not been involved in any accident, so it comes with a clean Carfax report. But selling it for anything close to the original price seems next to impossible. With five days to go, bidding on Bring a Trailer has only made it as far as $40,000. It looks like buying cars to resell them is not a profitable business anymore.