Track-Only Mustang Dark Horse R Makes Its Debut

It’s time for the Mustang herd to blow minds and break records yet again, this time with the addition of a new member: the Mustang Dark Horse R. This thrilling, track only vehicle is the natural evolution of the power of the Mustang Dark Horse, and it was designed to do one thing: race.

“Mustang Dark Horse R has been developed with Mustang racing enthusiasts top of mind,” said Jim Owens, Ford Mustang Marketing manager. “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 Dark Horse R is the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever. Designed to compete in the new, single-make Mustang Challenge series, the vehicle still manages to keep some common ground with its road-going counterparts, such as a Flat Rock Assembly Plant-provided body, 500+ horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, Tremec 3160 manual transmission, Torsen limited slip differential with 3.73 final drive ratio, aero and Brembo rear brake calipers/rotors.

The Mustang Challenge series that the Dark Horse R was developed for is scheduled to start in 2024. THe series has a 10 to 12-race calendar and a mix of five to six North American sports car race weekends that have yet to be announced. Each of the vehicles competing in this series has been developed specifically for the Mustang Challenge by Ford’s series partners at Michelin.

“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 Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.

The Ford Performance Racing School will be managing this IMSA-sanctioned series. Each round of the series consists of two practice sessions, one qualifying session and two sprint races. The top finishers of each race will be rewarded with contingency payouts, and all will be competing for the title of overall series champion at the end of the season.

“The new Mustang Challenge series is a perfect addition to our IMSA family and we are grateful to our longtime partners at Ford for trusting us to be the sanctioning body for this spectacular new platform,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “When I was a little boy going to the race track, I vividly remember the rumble of the Mustang race cars and their V8 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.”

If you’re interested in keeping up on all of the latest Ford news, including updates about this vehicle and racing series, make sure you continue reading our blog here!