2024 Dark Horse Secrets From Ford Engineering | The Best 5.0 Mustang Ever?

We take you on the inside with Ford Vehicle Integration Manager Tim Smith to find out what makes the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse tick. If you're liking our channel, please don't forget to subscribe.

[@lukeknezevic7267]

Incredible how far the auto industry has come! We can buy a street legal race car that you used to have to spend a good chunk of money to modify right off the lot. Granted pricing is much different but it seems like all of the stops have been pulled out. The factory is giving us what hot rodders used to put out.

[@RadDadisRad]

Evan! I just took delivery of a 2023 F150 XLT Super Crew Short Box 3.73 with the locker and the FP700 package. 305/45R22 tires are INSANE on a 4wd truck launches.

[@revanevan]

I bet it real hauls A$$!

[@DS22723]

Although the Darkhorse and the 5.0 GT are cool, personally I'll like to see another S650 Mustang but with a Supercharged V8, who doesn't love Supercharged? I doubt Ford will do it since it's competitors like Camaro and Challenger is fading away in 2024 but it'll be awesome to see one final Supercharged V8 muscle car, great sharing man 👍

[@lealandyoung]

It's probably coming, while we all want to see everything right out of the gate they still need to pace the products. I see a lot of complaints about the DH not being worth the money since it just has 15-20 horsepower over the GT (people love the Mach and it only has a 20 horsepower delta over the standard GT) and I can't help but think if they had waited 6 months to a year to release the car after all the hype over the S650 died down and reviewers had a chance get comfortable with the GT those complaints probably wouldn't be there. Also even though the S650 is more or less an evolution of the S550 instead of a clean sheet the engineers need time with the chassis so they can get comfortable with the iteraitve changes and really extract the performance. An S650 version of the S550 GT500 has some big shoes to fill and again by way of comparsion look at the transistion from the Terminator to the S-197 GT500 (2007-2009). The S-197 was more or less a refined version of the Terminator with very little difference in overall performance and people were underwhelmed and it wasn't until Ford released the 2013-2014 cars that it blew up. Already expectations for an S650 GT500 are high and the number one request is a substantial upgrade in power, well over 800 seems to be the going number and of course the crowd where horsepower is the only metric want something in the four digit range. The ROI on increased power really comes down to how well the chassis can use it and as an evolution of the previous car Ford has some serious work cut out for them if they want to top the most recent GT500 and meet expectations. Then again that could be as simple as tossing in a little more power to get attention and this time taking the speed limiter off the car so it will run as fast as it possible until it hits the aerodyanmic drag wall.

[@billb410]

How about a blown 7.3!

[@georgiadriven]

They are working on a road version of the mustang gt4 👀👀

[@The-fs5wn]

They are almost certainly going to do it since a Ford rep actually confirmed that Shelby models are coming. One of them was shown with a whacky center exit exhaust and NASCAR Cup style rear spoiler (and a blacked out badge with the same shape as the GT350), the other with the typical quad pipes and mega fenders of the GT500.

[@The-fs5wn]

@@georgiadrivenGT3, actually.

[@Davido50]

Absolutely love it. 💯 Home run! -NY

[@lx2nv]

Awesome video. Glad to hear why they changed to Pirelli. Also - noticed Brembo's all around. I wish my Mach 1 HP had that.

[@mikecurtis2585]

Nice great interview! Beautiful Mustang 🐎! Would love to drive one some day!!!

[@mirandadeel2702]

❤❤Thank you for sharing this beautiful car God bless you

[@bobuncle8704]

Love the Dark Horse, sadly dealerships are already marking them up to over $100K. The dealer network is going to kill Ford.

[@theshadowtalks]

Who?

[@ThatGuy3714]

What dealership did you go to? I just put one on order last week with all the options for MSRP.

[@jaasun71]

My local dealer has one that is marked up $25k. $104k. lol.

[@gordydexter2615]

Hi Evan, the information that was shared by Tim was awesome. Thank you for the great video that really provides insight and additional information about the Dark Horse. I ordered the DH back on 6 April. I am not expecting to get the car until December or January. I did order the Handling Package. Also ordered the Recaro seats which I learned in a Ford Seminar that they saved 36 pounds in weight of the car; also why they took out the seat heaters/ventilation option. I already own two manual transmission cars so I compromised with the wife and ordered the 10R80. I am gonna miss the 6 Spd; however I plan to add a Whipple 5, 3.0 SC or the ESS G3X centrifugal SC to the car so the 10spd will add to the quickness. I already know what I need to do to reduce the weight to 3660 pounds so with 800 RWHP it will be faster than my brother’s C8 Z06. The 305 mm tires on the front most likely will contribute to tramlining as you mentioned in the video. So I will need to add the Steeda enhancements & Stop the Hop pkg to get to my desired results for handling. I subscribed to your channel so I look forward to many more educational videos from you Brother!!! I have a few friends that blew-up their 350 Mustangs so as a 4 generation Corvette & Porsche driver I chose to stay away from the Flat Plane Crank engines. They sound the best but I am concerned about longevity. Keep the videos coming Evan!!!! Thanks‼️‼️👍💪😎🇺🇸✝️

[@utahcountypicazospage5412]

No c8 is still gonna gap you in track and straight line if the gt500 750hp runs the same quarter as c8 460hp lol 😂

[@nickkostakis9600]

Great show brilliant I love the Mustang GT with the TEN speed R80 better 😊thank you very much for the update from Sydney Australia

[@optimumperformance6998]

Love to see information about the braking systems...

[@revanevan]

I have a video coming up with the Brembo folks. Stay tuned.

[@BTSyaya]

The brembos from the outgoing s550s were pretty awesome. Can’t imagine they are going backwards at all.

[@lealandyoung]

@@BTSyaya if you look at the DH, it uses the same two-piece rotor that the GT350 and GT500 used (not sure of the diameter) so thats a big improvement right there since there is a drop in unsprung weight and even better the rotor is isolated from the hub which improves braking endurance. In HPDEs the brakes are unflappable even with an FNG driver (since FNGs tend to ease on the brakes the get hot and stay hot when out on track) and the only time I've every really heard somebody mention any problem was in an open track session where people were running wheel to wheel in an almost competion like environment and even then that might just come down to a novice driver and might even be a maintenence issue (worn out pads plus old fluid).

[@jimmyglen]

Great content

[@revanevan]

Thanks Jimmy

[@BrianJohnson-mm6od]

How does the Dark Horse compare with the Mach 1 with Handling Pack?

[@revanevan]

The average driver with no track training would not likely notice a huge difference. If I had a Mach 1 I wouldn't be trading it.

[@BrianJohnson-mm6od]

@@revanevan I figured. As many platforms that Ford has at its disposal, I didn't see too much of a difference. I saw the video that Car and Driver did at VIR with the Mach 1. It was pretty impressive. I'll definitely be watching for what the Dark Horse can do?

[@gurneyforpresident2836]

I do not believe this is the last of last. Why is that even the consensus? There is no official announcement of that either. I have heard there will always be ICE power available from Ford. Right now it's going the way the political wind blows, it will change or be lesser demanding. Ford all day! Road racing or Drag racing. Much enjoyed!

[@johnlopez805]

Nice

[@DanEBoyd]

The S series Mustangs are pretty good cars. I have an S197 GT 3V.

[@francorepici3586]

Oh, come on guys. The difference between a gt350 and dark horse is that the dark horse has more usable horse down low where the average daily driver can use it. The gt350 is a high revving race car who's power is up on the high end and does not do well around town.

[@lealandyoung]

GT350s aren't that high strung. I daily one and I currently live in Tennesse right along the VA border at a little higher elevation (1800 ft) and tons of hills and lots of twisty roads and the car is a great either crusining along and of course having fun plus I routinely make the drive to my old digs in south eastern VA and 81 is more or less going uphill all the way from the 757 and I just pop it in 6th and knock down 22-23 mpg and really only need to downshift when I'm threading the needle in traffic when I'm on the road. Although I would be interested to see how that average power shakes out between the Dark Horse and the GT350 which definetly does make a car more tractable for sure when has some meat under the curve.

[@francorepici3586]

@@lealandyoung that's interesting because a ford car salesman tried to sell me his gt350. I asked him if it was unpleasant to drive around town and he nodded and said yes. Gotta keep those revs up to drive comfortably. The gt350 is a race car and not a drag car.

[@Jvidswtf]

@@francorepici3586you don’t really have to try to sell a 350

[@revanevan]

@@francorepici3586 that's just not accurate. I own a GT350 and yes, it had more power above 5,000 than the GT but there's plenty of low-rpm power to get things going. My car has run 11s at 120 mph in the quarter-mile, you're not doing that on street tires with a car that's dead on the bottom. Either way, I appreciate the comment. Thanks for watching.

[@kennethchapman9564]

As a lifelong Ford guy I have owned six different mustangs. From a 67-2014 GT track pack car. Currently still own a project car my 1998 GT. I am interested in what high performance parts from these cars are going to be available to modify older mustangs? I know the 5.2 GT350 crate engine is now available but what else?

[@drfaticus]

I think the GT350 R is better!!

[@tobization]

I made a mental note about the splined steering shaft with an emphasis on searching for just what allowed them to do it that prevented it before. Then you asked Tim for an answer, nice. Murky response aside, the question becomes...can you swap the S650 shaft onto an S550? If not, why!?

[@revanevan]

I'll try to find that answer. Most of my videos are done on the fly so I don't always remember to ask every question. I appreciate you bringing that up.

[@tobization]

@@revanevan You did press him on it but he wasn't that clear as to what allowed the change. I think many would like to know if parts can be interchanged though. Thanks for responding Evan.

[@ThatGuy3714]

But how much power can the stock block hold? Is it around 1000hp like the gen 3 engines before they start to want to pop

[@jeremyclarkson-69]

Around 830 with a warranty, anything above that ford doesn't hold accountability for the aftermath, someone has to find out I guess

[@SHADOWBLACKs650]

Ask them to make a light weight stripper version and call it a LX5.0 for 35K...just like the 90s.. instead of just giving us fake gauges from a 90s LX5.0....... a Corvette killer like the 90 LX was ,Ford wouldn't be able to make them fast enough.

[@mikebutler8043]

I still would have loved a more traditional name plate. Kinda felt like dark horse should have been a Boss 302 again sounds dumb but the name dark horse should be just a trim line or package upgrade to a better name plate

[@treaco89]

Yeah the dark horse is kind of a lackluster name considering they have so many names with history and pedigree they could have used instead.

[@paulabes4220]

look up the definition of the words Dark Horse then you will see why it's a great name.@@treaco89

[@House_of_Schmidt]

Idk who this car is for. It's designed to appeal to Zoomers and Millennials yet priced for rich Boomers and Gen X'ers. Not to mention, as a Millennial myself, when i hear Dark Horse, i just always think of Katy Perry. It all leads me to believe that the Dark Horse nameplate was pushed by a board room of Gen X women who wanted to make something "cool for the kids". Spec wise, It's heavier than the s550, so it's completely losing its "pony car" pedigree. Also, the engine upgrades he's talking about are purely for the Gen4 coyote (aside from the connecting rods), so the dark horse 5.0 is basically a Coyote with a tune yet priced in GT350 territory. It just feels like a car for nobody.

[@MikeSmith-ey7ku]

Hilarious.Katie who? I’m gen X and don’t know a single song.

[@seanw3621]

The name is garbage. It’s just lame and hacky.

[@House_of_Schmidt]

@@doberchic well they said its designed for Millennials and gen z and most cant afford this car so you're lucky.

[@3644Darrell]

Just having the Tremec transmission and a torsen differential alone is worth it, not to mention the suspension upgrades.

[@abelw71]

Kind of got tongue tied when asked "why a GT 350 owner should buy the Dark Horse " same answer if you bought a Mach 1, your selling yourself short and will constantly be thinking what if I bought the 350. 😢

[@3644Darrell]

GT350's had huge vibration issues with it's flat plane crank, and oil consumption issues. They were also complicated and expensive to repair

[@abelw71]

@@3644Darrell I own one so I've heard both sides. I've not read anything that specifies a breakage due to vibration.The piston rings are the faulty part either a bad part or installed wrong. Regardless if you hate or love them if you dont take proper care of them they will fail as will a Coyote or any engine.

[@3644Darrell]

@@abelw71 some of the oil filters have vibrated off the engine.

[@abelw71]

@@3644Darrell Yes the reason in early 17 they installed the cartridge type oil filter as the specified torque required for the canister filter was not being followed.

[@350R19]

GT350 over the DH all day!

[@billb410]

The instrument cluster is a fail IMO. I'd never own any vehicle with that thing. Besides a Mustang must have a traditional IC. I don't care if some day cars fly the IC must stay traditional looking.

[@raionshishi8290]

Nobody really cares what you think either tho bro, the world doesn't revolve around you, if the majority wants something why would Ford fuck up their business for a small community, it doesn't benefit them or the supposed community who loves and wants Ford to succeed yet hold them back and possibly make them go bankrupt trying to make cars that most people don't want or care for, it's how business works, sometimes sacrifices are made. People need to learn that.

[@fernandochaves9665]

Good to see Ford thinking in V8s, internal combustion and performance while the whole automotive world turns electric, boring and cold. Nice interview!

[@3644Darrell]

At least they didn't put the shitty Getrag MT-82 in it. Sucks that they didn't get rid if it altogether for the rest of the Mustangs

[@JC-gw3yo]

Guys... the saying is "the proof is in the TASTING of the pudding" or in this situation, driving the car

[@treaco89]

11:48. Because it's the same car, regardless of what they call it.

[@3644Darrell]

People who are complaining about this car should be jumping for joy that Ford is still making V8's. Quit your whining

[@JerryCecco]

Why is Ford hiding performance data for a performance car???? IE 1/4 mile, 0to60, 60to0, laptimes

[@PeeterPuncher]

😂 The GT350 will outperform the dh anyday. All of the untunable gimmiky tech as well as it being the heaviest mustang than previous generations.

[@dennistate9951]

Dark Horse vs Mach 1

[@alanmackin2888]

Love everything about the Darkhorse except one item on the car I will likely never use under 160 mph…..that gigantic deck lid spoiler (wing) Sure wished Ford offered a delete option on that item

[@stevefowler2112]

I had 6 V8 mustangs in my days, including a few of the most sought after Mustangs but then I moved to Porshce 911's. To me the lines just look too busy.

[@bobfowkes557]

Why all the road race stuff. Ford gave up on drag racing.

[@Tegridynews]

Ford has been very adamant that they're not in the drag racing business. Ford could care less if you chose their engines to race with.

[@revanevan]

Sad but true and it kills me.

[@Tegridynews]

Please ask them why shifting has a soft delay. And why does it have a soft rev limiter at 7200.

[@Tegridynews]

Same platform since 2012 and they're just now getting the balance right 2023.

[@save16thave]

​@@revanevanThat's terrible! I love going to NMRA events. Drag racing helped to make the Mustang what it is. I could care less about road racing. Hopefully they come to their senses and release a Drag Pack or something.

[@SuperDagbo]

You two just rattled you didn't tell anybody anything. I would like to know something definitive about the new Mustang. When you talked about the wind tunnel you just talked mush you didn't explain anything.

[@SwissGTO]

If it really comes with only 455HP to europe nobody will buy it….

[@B4Uagain]

The performance package is a much much better deal. The PP gets just about everything the Darkhorse wine company car gets. Don't waste your money on that overpriced joke.

[@robertclymer6948]

Thanks fpr sharing Evan, however, i do not like the direction Ford is taking these platforms. Kinda like when Ford started dropping their good solid car line in lieu of SUV's and Trucks and of course their EV line. This is what you get when you get these younger woke kids coming in trying to change years and years of success. Will not bode well for Ford and others. Imho. Cheers from Motown.

[@revanevan]

You're welcome, but I don't believe it was a young person who decided to kill off cars at Ford. That comes from panels and ultimate a decision from the top of the Glass house. I'm with you, however, we want Ford cars. Personally, I have no need for an SUV.

[@RealSVTJunkie]

Another throttle body and air intake to make not that much more horsepower than the previous models(2018+) Think about that.. Dark horse < any GT350/R And s650 GT is barely a upgrade from the s550 GT Dark Horse makes less horsepower than the gt350 with dual throttle bodies and dual air intakes, and spare me the .2 of added displacement arguments..the gt350 has been out for getting close to a decade… This is a parallel move for Ford as far as performance. I wish Coletti was running the whole operation. Would probably have some AWD, V8 turbo’d type mustang by now, regardless the EPA regulations. He would figure it out Ford has lost its luster, and hate creators pushing fictitious narratives like the new s650 is a vast improvement over the s550 as far as performance. For clout and clicks and staying in the good graces of Ford….. Plus, it’s gonna be a little while before you can even tune this car if you’re a new buyer, and want to mod the car. Which many, many do. Rant over

[@theshadowtalks]

Thank God!

[@RealSVTJunkie]

@@theshadowtalks thanks for playing

[@theshadowtalks]

@@RealSVTJunkie Hehe

[@100X00]

Yes, it may be the best GT in terms of capabilities, but it is the ugliest in my opinion