Palm Beach Dyno big kahuna Ken Bjonnes recently tested a 2024 model year Ford Mustang on the dyno. The before and after beggars belief, but there's more to it than a sixth-generation Whipple supercharger.
First and foremost, Ford quotes 480 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (563 Nm) for the Mustang GT. Specifying the fancy exhaust gets you 486 horsepower and 418 pound-feet (567 Nm) of torque, and the reason Ford Motor Company decided on 486 was the 485-hp HEMI 392 engine.
The Palm Beach Dyno… uhm… Dynojet recorded a best of 448.41 horsepower and 405.91 pound-feet (550 Nm) at the rear wheels of the pictured Mustang GT, resulting in drivetrain losses of 7.73 and 2.89 percent, respectively, from the crankshaft to the rear wheels. Next up, the Whipple-supplied blower goes in. Priced at $9,295.99 on Whipple's website, the 3.0-liter supercharger is advertised with up to 810 horsepower and 640 pound-feet (868 Nm) on 93 octane.
After loading the tune via the Whipple Tomahawk flash tool, the pony-turned-muscle car hits the dyno once again for a few pulls. Octane boost helps the 5.0-liter Coyote a bit, yet a bigger difference is made by switching from 3.8 to a 3.75-inch pulley. The best pull ended with 795.93 horsepower at 7,740 revolutions per minute and 620.51 pound-feet (841 Nm) at 4,870 revolutions per minute, figures that are stupidly impressive compared to the crankshaft numbers from Whipple Superchargers.
There is more to squeeze out, though, but only after the owner upgrades to a heavier-duty clutch. There is a big difference in the S650-generation Mustang's manual transmissions, with the GT rocking the Getrag MT-82 as opposed to a Tremec for the Dark Horse. The EcoBoost manual is no more for 2024, probably due to poor take-up rate for said combo.
Photo: Palm Beach Dyno on YouTube
If you're in the market for a V8-powered Mustang and you are inclined to spend top dollar on the Dark Horse, bear in mind the manual is limited by software to 7,250 revolutions per minute. The dual-throttle-body Coyote sings to 7,500 revolutions per minute with the Ford-designed automatic tranny.
Neither manual is expected in the forthcoming Shelby GT500, which should be similar in many respects to the Multimatic-built GTD. Coming in hot for the 2025 model year, Mustang GTD uses a dual-clutch transaxle and semi-active multilink rear suspension. Otherwise put, no trunk space at all.
Looking at the bigger picture, a Mustang that promises to be faster around the Nurburgring than the C190 GT Black Series and 991.2-generation 911 GT2 RS can only be described as an instant classic. Estimated to start at $300,000 or thereabouts, the most expensive Mustang of them all will be followed by the new Shelby GT500 for MY26.
Similar to the GTD, the GT500 is rumored to have the very same 800-plus-horsepower Predator supercharged V8. The Ford Motor Company did confirm dual air inlets for the 5.2-liter engine, but it's not currently known whether the Predator has also been elevated to dual throttle bodies as well.
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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