As Ford Authority reported back in January, Ford Motor Company filed to trademark “Boss” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) early this year, and that was followed by another trademark filing – this time, for “Dark Horse Boss” with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) that same month. Each of those filings previewed the potential return of a model name from the past, and now, a prototype of what may be the 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Boss has been spotted testing, too.
Ford Authority just spotted this potential 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Boss prototype out testing in Dearborn, Michigan, and it’s wearing some interesting and unique elements in many areas. Unlike the supposed “GT500” mules that Ford Authority spotted last week – which had larger air intakes, S550-generation GT500 wheels, as well as a roll bar and a mule sticker present – this prototype looks more like a standard Dark Horse on the outside. There are dual air intakes present up front, however, unlike the single unit present on the existing Dark Horse and GT. It’s a similar setup to the S550-generation Mustang Mach 1, in fact.
Speaking of the last-gen Mach 1, one of these potential 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Boss prototypes was also wearing the same wheels as that model, at least, when equipped with the optional Handling Package. They were wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires measuring 305/30ZR19 up front and 315/30ZR19s at the rear, but the same prototype was also seen equipped with different wheels and Pilot Sport 4S tires on another day. It’s unclear what size those particular tires were, however.
If the GT500 does make a return, as some have speculated, it makes sense that a Dark Horse Boss may also serve as a spiritual successor to the Mach 1, which itself was a bit of a performance bridge between the GT and the prior-generation GT500. It could take cues from the old Boss 302 and provide pony car fans with a more track-capable version of the Dark Horse, with beefier cooling, improved rolling stock, and other upgrades.
In terms of what that might mean for performance in the potential 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Boss, well, that much remains very unclear at the moment. It’s safe to assume that if the GT500 does make a comeback, it could do so packing the same supercharged 5.2L V8 as its predecessor and the F-150 Raptor R, perhaps with some updates. The Dark Horse Boss could even go a similar route while ditching the supercharger, or perhaps come with a fortified version of the 5.0L V8 Coyote. Either way, we’ll certainly learn more about these new pony car variants in the coming weeks.
Comments
Lookie, lookie! It’s the new Mustang variation Of The Day! Yippie! Not.
OMG……..Ford has to stop this crap !
Narrow it down and stay there !
Soon the Shelby and the Boss will create more Mustang variants than Buick has in their entire lineup!
Stop the Madness !
Just think of the price if a top spec Dark Horse is 90,000+ just think where the price on the boss version will be. I bet 100,000 plus and GT500 will be nuts that all we need.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking, every SE will be 100k+ which is a shame since the GT350 was such a bargain for what you got (while the Mach 1/handing package posted better numbers it didn’t offer near the value of the GT350). My 2020 GT350 stickered at 65k and had the 5.2 Voodoo of course along with the 6/4 Brembos with two-piece rotors all around and the suspension bits were unique to the car. The Mach 1 cribbed the transmission and the intake on the standard 5.0 and IIRC the front knuckles from the GT500 but used the GT’s brakes with upgraded pads and Ford charged an extra 5k over the GT350 when optioned with the handling pack. It was a nice car but nowhere near the value to the GT350 was in terms of content and character.
I really hope they retire the Dark Horse and just call this the Boss 302. Dark Horse just sounds too corny.
I had to hold my nose to spend over $56K for my 24 GT Premium. I don’t care what they call it; it will be overpriced.
Ford has lost the Mustang crowd.
Yep, priced themself out of their target demographic. And if you are older and just want a fun weekend car, try talking your wife into spending 60K plus.
lol, “Dark Horse Boss”, how about dump “Dark Horse” and just call it a “Boss” or better yet, throw the Cobros a bone and call it a “Cobra” and while Ford has tied the “Cobra Jet” name to drag racing call the GT500 replacement the “Cobra Jet” (that’s what most of those guys do anyway no matter how well sorted and well handling the car is. They’ll put a pulley and tune on the car then swap the rear tires for drag radials and go roll racing on a dead straight highway).
Hopefully they sweat the details on the Dark Horse Boss and develop a package like the GT350 and is way more special than the Mach 1 which mainly benefited from stickier tires compared to the GT350.
Also, as a retired tire guy I can say the second those 180 tread wear tires wear out the owners usually screw the car up by installing the cheapest longest lasting and widest tire they can get then play the mental huck-a-buck and convince themselves it was an improvement because somehow harder tires that aren’t really designed for the wheel they (people love to see that bulge by fitting a tire 10-20mm wider than the approved rim width range) convince a shop to squeeze them on is better simply because its wider.
I feel like they should just improve the handling pack on the GT Performance Pack to at least what the base DH has now.
Then give Dark Horse a nice NA version of the 5.2L, or a redone 7.3 Godzilla. Something to actually justify its price over a GT.
1, stupid name
2, DH is already the successor to the S550 Mach1, what does adding the name BOSS do?
Unless it has a really nice NA version of the 5.2L I don’t get the point of this edition.
Check out Holman & Moodys website for their S650 handling package. It turns a 1.24 G lateral G mark all day long. If you’re looking for the ultimate handling Mustang…visit them and skip this horse parade.
I’ll keep my 7,800 mile 2019 Bullitt. It can still fetch mid $40’s on the market, but I prefer to keep it.