Take a Closer Look at the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

The Dark Horse is the top dog — err, pony — of the 2024 Mustang lineup, producing 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque.

While the Dark Horse itself is street legal, it forms the basis for two new track-only Mustangs, the Dark Horse S and Dark Horse R.

There’s a Dark Horse Appearance Package that includes vinyl decals that draw your attention to the hood’s raised center. You know, the power bulge.

These three-section LED headlights are super cool, and kind of mimic the three-part LED taillights around back.

Ford’s auto show stand lighting totally sucks, so it doesn’t do this color justice. It’s called Blue Ember Metallic. Depending on how the light hits it, it either looks gray or purple or black or even a little brown. Also, note to automakers: Color-changing lights on auto show stands are bad. Don’t do that.

A special car deserves a special badge, though as a friend pointed out, the Dark Horse logo kind of looks like the one used by the Henderson Silver Knights hockey team in Nevada.

The gloss black ‘fangs’ are a weird design touch, but the pronounced front splitter is all about improving aerodynamic downforce.

Speaking of which, this fixed rear spoiler has an integrated Gurney flap and should help keep the Dark Horse’s back end planted at speed.

This thing has some seriously meaty Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo RS summer tires. Those are 305-section tires up front. The rears, meanwhile, are 315s.

Carbon fiber wheels! That’s right, Ford is finally offering these awesome rollers from Carbon Revolution on a non-Shelby Mustang. They each weigh 20.1 pounds, which Ford says is 37 percent lighter than comparable aluminum wheels. Be sure to peep the blue Brembo brakes, too.

The 2024 Mustang’s interior gets a huge update, with Sync 4 infotainment technology, a new steering wheel and a leather-wrapped “drift brake” — an old-school e-brake handle that operates the electronic parking brake — that’ll make whipping shitties in the grocery store parking lot a cinch.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and comes with this awesome 3D-printed titanium shift knob. Real metal shifters are great, and hey, this one won’t burn your hand on a hot day like an aluminum shift knob.

The Dark Horse has the same curved digital display as other Mustangs. As you can see here, one of the configurations for the digital instrument panel mimics the dashboard design of the legendary Fox-body Mustang.

The Fox Body theme is extremely cool.

What’s an extra-racy Mustang without a set of Recaro sport seats? You can even get them with blue inserts if that’s your jam.

It’s not actual carbon fiber, but the interior trim uses a carbon-fiber-style grain pattern. It looks neat, too.

You know, just in case you forget.

Get one of the optional decal packs and the graphics carry over to the rear decklid.

The trapezoidal nostril look isn’t for everyone, but it certainly separates the Dark Horse from lesser ‘Stangs.

A Mustang is only as good as what’s under the hood, and Ford’s 5.0-liter V8 is one of the best naturally aspirated high-performance engines around.