Unveiled in September 2022, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang has already spawned almost a handful of beefed-up versions as of July 2023. In addition to the Dark Horse, fitted with a 5.0-liter V8 rated at 500 horsepower, Ford also introduced no fewer than three race cars.
The GT3-spec version broke cover in June 2023 with a custom 5.4-liter V8 made by M-Sport and a program led by Multimatic. The Mustang GT3 will hit race tracks in 2024, and it will rev for glory at all the important endurance events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ford also debuted a GT4 version shortly after the GT3 showcased its colorful livery at Circuit de la Sarthe. Also based on the Dark Horse and outsourced to Multimatic, the Mustang GT4 was obviously designed for the SRO GT4 category. It will hit the track with a Coyote-based V8 developed in-house by Ford Performance.
Finally, FoMoCo introduced the Dark Horse R on July 28, 2023. No, it's not a souped-up Dark Horse for street use. The R-badged pony completes the race-spec Mustang S650 trio with a car that bridges the gap between the GT3 and GT4 models. It features a 500+ horsepower Coyote and will compete in the Mustang Challenge, a new single-make series sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).
Needless to say, all three cars are cool and will most likely spearhead a very successful racing career for the seventh-gen Mustang. But Ford is still missing an essential piece of its usual race-spec lineup. I'm talking about the Cobra Jet, the company's factory-built dragster.
Introduced in 2008, when Ford celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the street-legal Cobra Jet, the quarter-mile rig soldiered on for more than a decade with frequent updates. However, we haven't seen a brand-new model since 2018, and there's been a lot of debate on whether Ford will develop a drag-spec version of the S650 pony car. And it turns out it will. At least that's what a company official told YouTube's "StangMode" during the unveiling of the Dark Horse R.
Asked whether Ford plans to expand the seventh-gen Mustang's racing program to the drag strip, the representative confirmed that the company "is not out of drag racing by any means." He was quick to remind us about the all-electric Cobra Jet prototypes built in recent years and Ford's involvement in the NMRA Coyote Stock series, but he did not reveal relevant information.
Sure, one could argue that the Cobra Jet EV is the way to go now that we're moving closer to total electrification, but I doubt Ford will give up on the opportunity of creating one last factory dragster with an internal combustion engine. As long as the NHRA keeps relying on V8 power, Detroit automakers will keep making Cobra Jet, COPO, and Drag Pak rigs.
The last Mustang Cobra Jet hit the market in 2018 as a 50th-anniversary racer. Powered by a 5.2-liter V8 engine topped by a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger, the 2018 Cobra Jet was built in just 68 units. The number is a tribute to the year when the first Cobra Jet-powered Mustang was introduced. That's halfway through the 1968 model year.
Find out what Ford had to say about the Cobra Jet program in the video below. The question pops up at the 5:40-minute mark. But you might as well watch the whole thing because it includes interesting info on the brand-new Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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