Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC

When Ford launched the current S650 generation of the Mustang in 2023, one name was notably absent from all of the discussion – Shelby. Ford has had an on-off relationship with Shelby American ever since the original Mustang debuted more than six decades ago. During the S197 (5th-gen) and S550 (6th-gen) eras, the highest performance factory built Mustangs were the supercharged Shelby GT500s. Today, the highest performance Mustang is the $400,000 GTD that is practically a race car but that’s not really a GT500 substitute. That role is set to be filled this summer by the new Dark Horse SC (as in supercharged). 

Starting with the 2024 model year, Dark Horse took the place of Shelby with the standard 500-hp naturally aspirated Mustang Dark Horse effectively taking the place of the former GT350 in the slot above the GT. The Dark Horse R is a turnkey race version equipped with the necessary safety gear like roll cages and fire suppression for club racing and the one-make Mustang Challenge. Ford Racing also offers GT4 and GT3 homologated race cars for those stepping stone series. 

The Dark Horse SC is a street legal beast that is also very capable of going to work for track days. In fact, it is probably more suitable for track days than use on the street. For now, Ford is being annoyingly coy about specifications for the SC, preferring to tease them out regularly over the next several months so that we’ll keep writing and talking about the new model. Sadly, the strategy will almost certainly work. 

At it’s core, this new Mustang is very similar to the last GT500. There’s a supercharged 5.2-liter aluminum V8 and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission providing propulsion. Ford won’t say what the output is, but chances are it will fall somewhere between the 760-hp of the GT500 and the 815-hp generated by the 5.2-liter in the $400,000 GTD. Power goes to a beefed up rear axle through a carbon fiber driveshaft with stronger half-shafts. The rear differential also gets its own cooler. 

Up front, like the GT500s of the past decade, the SC will be easy to distinguish thanks to its new face. Generating lots of power means a lot of heat needs to be dissipated. The center section of the grille has 60% more airflow through the radiator and other heat exchangers while the lower corners also get large grilles for the intercoolers. 

All of the SCs will get unique sheet metal with 1-inch wider fenders on each side to contain the larger tires. The fronts are 305/30ZR20 while the rears are 315/30ZR20. Standard SCs get Pirelli P-Zero R on aluminum wheels that are 10.5-inches wide in front and 11-inches in the rear. The optional track pack replaces those with Carbon Revolution carbon fiber wheels that are 11 and 11.5-inches wide respectively with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Rs. 

The track pack brings numerous other upgrades as well. The trunk lid has an integrated ducktail spoiler on the trailing edge that combines with the carbon fiber wing to generate 620-lbs of downforce at 180 mph. The use of the ducktail with the wing allowed Ford to use a lower angle of attack for the wing, reducing the impact on visibility. The wing is adjustable so it can be angled further for track use. 

The standard steel brakes are replaced with massive Brembo carbon ceramic rotors on the track pack along with removing the rear seat. The track pack also gets Magne-Ride dampers all around. Altogether the carbon wheels, tires and brakes save 120-lbs in unsprung mass with total weight reduction of 150-lbs compared to the base SC.

There’s no shortage of other carbon parts on the SC including the massive hood vent and assorted trim pieces inside such as the same carbon fiber surrounding the rotary shifter that is found on the GTD and the titanium shift paddles. The teal accent package adds contrasting stitching on the seats, teal seat belts and teal painted Brembo brake calipers that a particularly good contrast against the Argon Blue paint. 

On top of the track pack, Ford is offering a limited run special edition (although Ford won’t say how limited). This one combines the carbon package with the track pack and adds painted (not vinyl) stripes on the hood and trunk lid. It’s only available in Oxford white or Shadow black and has Solar Red Recaro seats. 

Ford will open the order books for the Dark Horse SC in the spring with deliveries starting in the summer of 2026. There’s no pricing available yet, but the current 2026 Dark Horse Premium with the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 starts at $70,000 and approaches $90,000 with all the options. Odds are the SC will start above $100,000 and the special edition will probably approach $140,000. So much for Mustangs being fast, fun and affordable. 

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