Earlier today, Ford Authority spotted what may very well be not just one, but three integrated prototypes of the 2026 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, with one wearing Dark Horse badging and other elements, albeit also some truly unique (and in some cases, familiar) features. It’s unclear if these particular prototypes are in fact a preview of what will become the 2026 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 or something else entirely, but there was one particular feature present on that modified bodywork that is quite humorous, to say the least.
That feature is a sticker of a mule placed on the front fenders, just behind the Dark Horse badges, as we can see in these photos. As many are already well aware, “mule” is typically used to refer to a vehicle that’s in the early stages of development, oftentimes, one sporting crude modifications that aren’t necessarily indicative of what we can expect from a production model. In this case, that’s somewhat true, though an integrated prototype features major elements of a vehicle program, primarily the powertrain, suspension, and chassis, at least. One of the prototypes did not feature camo and had its sticker placed next to the Dark Horse fender badge.
If nothing else, it’s clear that Ford engineers intentionally placed this sticker on these prototypes, perhaps as a way to be a bit cheeky knowing that they would inevitably be spotted driving around – and photographed. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen such a thing, either – Ford Authority previously spotted 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning prototypes sporting pro wrestler nicknames, as well as a 2023 Lincoln Corsair prototype donning a Kanye West sticker in the rear window.
At the moment, it’s unclear if these prototypes signal the return of the GT500 for the S650 generation Mustang, or perhaps some sort of hotter Dark Horse variant, but they are wearing S550-gen GT500 wheels, at least. The Blue Oval has been mulling the idea of using a different nameplate for its future range-topping pony car, as Ford Authority exclusively reported roughly one year ago. However, a letter sent from the UAW to its members signaled that a new GT500 is on the way, which was later confirmed by the Detroit Free Press, via a source familiar with the program itself. Regardless, Ford has filed a variety of trademarks that could also preview this future model’s nameplate as well – including Boss, Dark Horse Boss, and Cobra.
Comments
If this prototype is working mule as suggested, it seems to be lacking the large heat vent on the latest GT500, along with the much larger grill openings. The pronounced auxiliary fluid cooling ducts are curious though. Since the S650 is an updated version of the S550 platform, it would seem that the cooling requirements for a substantial horsepower/torque increase would have to remain as they originally were, or perhaps even made a bit larger. Based on these queues, I would guess that this isn’t a GT500 test mule.
Can’t imagine what this will cost. I checked Ford’s configurator and built a loaded Dark Horse with all the big options checked off (Autotragic trans, handling package, CF wheels, painted stripes, Recaros, and Appearance Package on a Dark Horse Premium) and it came in at nearly 97k. I wouldn’t be surprised if this GT500 successor started at 100k and fully optioned ended up around 120k.
Yeah and the GT Mustang will be 75k by then. The sales will be even worst and Ford will wonder what’s wrong surely it could not be the prices.