Ford reveals Supercars-inspired Mustang Dark Horse, but not for NZ

Another year, another souped up, go-faster Ford Mustang revealed for Down Under … or Australia, at least. 

Ford has whipped the covers off its new Mustang Dark Horse T8-Spec; a limited edition spin off on the much loved Dark Horse, with influence from Supercars championship and Bathurst 1000–winning race team Triple Eight Race Engineering.

T8, also known as Red Bull Ampol Racing (bit more sponsor friendly, that one), lends its name to the model following a strong start to its first Supercars season as part of Ford’s operation since 2009. 

One of the squad’s drivers, Broc Feeney, leads the title standings following back-to-back race weekends in New Zealand that saw him also claim the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy. 

Just 250 Dark Horse T8-Spec units are slated for production. The model comes exclusively paired to the Dark Horse’s Tremec 6-speed manual transmission, with power from the 5.0-litre Coyote V8 unchanged at 350kW/550Nm.

There are some performance tweaks, all mainly centering around the Mustang chassis. The model gains stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, adjustable top mounts, a bespoke MagneRide tune, and wider Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres (305/30R19s up front 315/30R19s in the rear).

On top of these changes, the model also gets numerous aesthetic updates. These include T8 scuff plates, blue accents inside, black 19-inch wheels, and more. 

“By partnering with Triple Eight Race Engineering, we’ve created a vehicle that not only celebrates our racing heritage but offers our most passionate enthusiast customers a globally unique, bespoke numbered collector’s item vehicle, upfit right here in Melbourne,” said Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson.

Sadly, the T8-Spec is not destined for the New Zealand showrooms. Perhaps if a Kiwi still drove for the Red Bull squad, the story would be a little different. 

No matter, there is still some good news for Kiwi Mustang fans. Ford New Zealand has confirmed that a limited shipment of standard Mustang Dark Horses is due to touch down later this year, with orders now open to the public. 

Pricing for the model won’t be changing, meaning a sticker price of $114,990 for the manual and $116,990 for the 10-speed automatic.