First Look: Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – The Detroit Bureau

Ford Motor Co. unveiled the latest iteration of the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse on Thursday, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. The latest Dark Horse-based racing derivative joins the Mustang GT3 and GT4, filling the space between the two for competition in the new, single-make Mustang Challenge series.

“Mustang Dark Horse R has been developed with Mustang racing enthusiasts top of mind,” said Jim Owens, Ford Mustang Marketing manager, in a statement. “Ford Performance leaned into countless areas of expertise developed through years of racing the Mustang and honed in on an aggressive yet approachable package for customers to pick up and play with.”

The 2024 Mustang Dark Horse R debuted at this year’s Chicago Auto Show sporting Blue Ember metallic paint that appears to be the color of the moment. But like its paint job, the Dark Horse R celebrates the height of internal combustion high-performance as gasoline-powered cars enter their twilight years in a final menacing roar of fuel-powered glory from Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote V-8.

The middle stallion

Not surprisingly, this latest colt is the based on the all-new seventh-generation Mustang that broke cover earlier this week in both Mustang GT and Mustang EcoBoost trim.

“Mustang Dark Horse R bridges the gap between Dark Horse and Mustang GT3 and GT4,” stated Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Dark Horse R offers our passionate customers not just an attainable, factory-built race car, but also a racing series to compete with other Mustang enthusiasts.”

Designed for track use only, it shares its body shell, 500+ horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 engine, Tremec 3160 manual transmission, Torsen limited slip differential with 3.73 final drive ratio, and Brembo rear brake calipers and rotors with its road-going siblings. But that’s where the similarities end.

The exterior also gets front and rear tow hooks, reinforced jacking points and underbody tie down hoops. The chassis is fitted with a roll cage, Multimatic DSSV dampers, adjustable front camber plates, and adjustable anti-roll bars. Brakes have been upgraded with race cooling ducts, Brembo front racing calipers, rotors and race pads. They’re nestled behind Ford Performance Parts R1 19-inch Flow-Formed Wheels with bespoke Michelin racing slicks. The powertrain has also seen its oil system, transmission cooling and differential cooling upgraded, along with the addition of a Ford Performance oil pan and a Borla racing exhaust.

And, as you’d expect, the interior has been heavily revised for racing with a Recaro FIA racing seat, quick-release steering wheel, FIA racing harness, FIA fire suppression system, FIA safety nets, driver keypad and button controls, fuel cell, and a MoTeC data display and logging system.

Putting it to good use

All of this will be put to use in the new IMSA-sanctioned Mustang Challenge Series.

“Mustang Dark Horse R owners will have the opportunity to race and test their driving skills with other Mustang enthusiasts at some of the world’s most incredible tracks,” said Rushbrook.

Each round of the series, which comprises two practice sessions, one qualifying session, and two sprint races, will be managed by Ford Performance Racing School. Top finishers in each race will receive contingency payouts, and an overall series champion will be crowned at the conclusion of the season to recognize the best drivers.

“When I was a little boy going to the race track, I vividly remember the rumble of the Mustang race cars and their V-8 power, so imagining a full field of Dark Horse Rs charging into Turn 1 for the first time on an IMSA race weekend will bring back a flood of memories and be awe inspiring,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “The new Mustang Challenge series is a perfect addition to our IMSA family and we are grateful to our longtime partners at Ford.”

The starting price for the Mustang Dark Horse R is $145,000. Deliveries will start in time for the 2024 Mustang Challenge season to get underway.

Other Dark Horse models

For those who haven’t been keeping track, the new Mustang Dark Horse-based GT3 race car officially joined the FIA GT3 category in June with the intention of competing in the 2024 World Endurance Championship season and the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans to be raced by Proton Competition. The car was developed by Ford Performance in association with longtime partners Multimatic and M-Sport and employs a Ford Performance-developed 5.4-liter Coyote-based V-8 engine.

For Ford, the stakes are high.

“Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley, at the time. “Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we’re coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world. It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone.”

Not surprisingly, the automaker’s motorsports efforts have been officially dubbed “Ford vs. Everyone.” 

As if to further make the point, the Mustang Dark Horse-based GT4 race car was unveiled later the same month at the 24 Hours of Spa at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in eastern Belgium.

Similar to the GT3, the GT4 is constructed in collaboration with Multimatic and has a Coyote-based V-8 engine that was entirely created in-house by Ford Performance. It competes in the SRO-sanctioned GT4 category, which Ford first entered in 2017. It boasts Multimatic DSSV dampers, a Holinger dog-ring gearbox, paddle shifters with pneumatic actuation, natural fiber body panels, as well as a unique aero package developed to meet GT4 requirements.

It’s all meant to make the Ford Mustang the most raced and most successful nameplate, racing from Daytona to Bathurst.

“We’ve upped the game and are ready to challenge an entire world of competitors,” Rushbrook said.

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• Source: https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2023/07/first-look-ford-mustang-dark-horse-r/