The Ford Mustang Dark Horse trotted out as a high-performance of the seventh-generation pony car, packing the most powerful roadgoing version of the 5.0L Coyote V8 engine to date. But that’s not to say its predecessors weren’t anything special all on their own. YouTuber Sam CarLegion set out to find out which Mustang is the fastest in a set of drag races, pitting a Mustang Shelby GT350R and a Mustang Mach 1 against a Mustang Dark Horse on the strip.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse makes 500 horsepower with a curb weight of 3,900 pounds; the Mustang Mach 1 is similar to the Dark Horse, making 480 horsepower, but it’s lighter at 3,800 pounds. Finally, the Mustang Shelby GT350, which packs the 5.2L Voodoo V8 engine, making 526 horsepower.
During the first roll race, the Mustang Shelby GT350R gets the jump and doesn’t let go of it, crossing the line ahead of the Mustang Mach 1, and, finally, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. A second roll race is a bit tighter than the first, at least until the Mustang GT350R finally gets momentum behind it and blows past its Blue Oval brethren like they’re standing still.
From a standstill start, the Mustang Shelby GT350R still has a clear-cut advantage, followed by the Mustang Mach 1 and the Mustang Dark Horse bringing up the rear. All told, to nobody’s surprise, the Ford Mustang GT350R was the clear-cut winner of the bunch.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse hasn’t exactly had a great streak as of late when it comes to drag racing. It got its tailpipe handed to it by a C8 Corvette Stingray in a race facilitated by Edmunds. The pony car also underperformed compared to some of its closest rivals in a four-way test of speed, although it gave its driver everything it had. Another seventh-gen Mustang cradling the Coyote powerhouse lost out in a race against a BMW M2, too.
Low-interest financing and bonus cash on best-selling three-row crossover.
Very impressive gains.
A stylish and sporty coupe with hybrid power, but no manual gearbox.
Something the development team was aiming for.
The Blue Oval is a hot topic among Redditors, it seems.
View Comments
Then what happens when all three reach the first set of turns? Which one will lap a road course the quickest. My money is on the Mach 1. Dyno tests prove the GT350R is making close to 490 not 526. The weight difference is about right with the GT350R being the lightest without a backseat and other weight reducing measures. The suspension on the Mach 1 has benefited from GT 500 parts and more sophisticated tuning than the GT 350R.
The Darkhorse will be in the race though. It has better brakes than the Mach 1, so latter braking ability may help it there, but the extra pounds may reduce this advantage to a minimum.
GT350s routinely make 460hp to the wheels and there is no way the drivetrain is absorbing 6% of the power. The absorption is more on the order of 14-15% which would put it at 520-530 hp. Ford like GM and a lot of the industry uses SAE J1349 to rate their engines which requires an independent observer so there is no reason to believe Ford over-rated their engine (especially given the SN95 SVT Cobra debacle where they rated the engine then made changes to the intake and exhaust side resulting in less power and a bunch of lawsuits prompting a recall). At the end of the day, track performance ultimately comes down to grip (weight and technology are still factors) and as long as the GT350R is equipped with tires at least as sticky as the Mach and Dark Horse then it stands a fair chance of beating either (the GT350R in its final years also got the same knuckle as the GT500 and Mach 1 so that is a moot point), What the GT350 has in its favor is weight, especially the early cars with AC and infotainment delete and the gen 1 engine which is lighter than the gen 2 since the gen 2 uses a predator block.