The End Is Nigh for the ICE Age, but I Still Want a 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Some of the corner office head honchos sure hope that the end is near for the various crises we are going through right now. Especially the ones regarding supply chain issues and the pesky chip shortage, among many others. In fact, I am talking about the recent decision from the European Parliament to pass the needed legislation that will compel automakers to reach a 100% cut in CO2 emissions from new cars delivered to the 27 European Union states starting in 2035.

Actually, the issues are even deeper for those who thought that the ICE age was not coming to an end. The upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations are just around the corner and will come into effect starting in the summer of 2025. Then there is also an intermediate step to 2030 when passenger car (and light commercial vehicle) emissions will need to drop by more than half compared to 2021! As such, wise people might want to start hedging their bets by investing in EV purchases and battery pack manufacturers from now on.

Alas, when it comes to logical decisions, the act of buying a car is nothing short of folly. Otherwise, everyone would just buy the cheapest model on the market. And depending on their needs, they would simply upscale to different segments to fit their singular or family needs. But then, how do you justify the record sales of exotic automakers like Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, or Ferrari, among many others? Yep, the act of buying a car is entirely emotional, and the only logical deed is to try and purchase something that will not ruin your finances (completely or too soon).

Well, after last year, I went on and on with my favorite sentimental purchase at that moment – the 2023 Nissan Z, complete with its cool retro-modern design and 400-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo VR30DDTT V6, now I have decided to upscale my cravings to the 2024 Ford Mustang in general and the 500-hp Dark Horse V8 model in particular.

And of course, I believe the seventh-gen S650 is going to be one of the most hyped sports cars of the year – which is mostly because ICE enthusiasts will not go anywhere near the bland Chevy Camaro or the EV revolution occurring at Dodge with the upcoming introduction of the Banshee EV-motivated production version of the Charger Daytona SRT concept.

But I was not yet convinced that I secretly desired the new Mustang in place of a $50k Nissan Z Performance even after just before Christmas Ford’s Santa brought the merry ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ news that 2024 Mustangs will be more powerful across the board. As such, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost version will arrive at dealerships with 315 hp and 350 lb-ft (475 Nm), which are nice figures for the base model.

Then the Coyote V8-equipped Mustang GT will pack either 480 ponies (plus 415 lb-ft/563 Nm) or even 486 hp and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm) when featuring the optional active-valve performance exhaust system. And, last but not least, the new Dark Horse hits the 500-hp mark starting this summer to steal the crown for the most powerful non-Shelby version ever.

Instead, the exact moment when I knew that no matter the cost – and I bet the Dark Horse will incur a hefty penalty on our bank accounts – I wanted a 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse came not long ago when the Blue Oval company detailed the interior and its bespoke colors. That “all-new anodized blue, lightweight titanium manual shift knob,” although it was offered to us in a pre-production CGI, simply stole my heart. And come to think that I had finally come to terms with the fact that my age and city traffic will soon compel me to purchase an automatic transmission with our next family car… Well, that quickly went down the drain.

Besides, I realized that now the kids are growing and there’s no need to pack everything – from bikes to playing cards in the trunk of our family estate car. And while I still think that a station wagon is the best option for someone with a large(ish) family because it’s even more practical than a crossover if you do not take out into nature the car but rather your feet, I am also convinced now that my second car would be a Dark Horse Mustang.

And if I win the big lottery prize that will happen sometime next year. If not, I really do not mind waiting a couple more years to see what reliability problems occur with the S650 and give a little extra time to Ford to iron them out.