We got wind of the S650 Mustang Darkhorse more than a year ago and decided to order one in March of 2023, before the order banks opened. Our friends at Riser-Harness Ford helped us spec out the Race Red 2024 Darkhorse 6-speed below, which has all of the performance options and stickered at $67K. In this Project Introductory forum build thread post we explain the costs and compare them to the Shelby GT350, our 2018 “Poverty Spec” S550 Mustang GT, and the 2024 Mustang GT Brembo and PP versions.
On October 8th our car arrived right at the race track, and with 5 miles on the odometer out on track we went, taking 5 sessions with 4 drivers that day. The initial lap times from this Track Test #1 were pretty dang good, and the DH outmatched the Race Red 2024 Mustang GT “Brembo” package car that Corey from Five Star Ford brought out that same day. We have data logged in-car videos of both cars from this test, as well as more DH videos from Test #2 and #3, all in this forum post.
And while this is one of the heaviest Mustangs we have weighed this side of a GT500, the on-track performance belies the mass and the amazing drive-by-wire brakes are simply outstanding. We share data from all 3 track tests showing incredibly high braking g forces. We also take a deep dive into the differences and similarities between the S550 and S650 Mustang chassis with respect to suspension, brakes and even wheel fitments. You can see that in the first part of this 4 part Forum Build Thread entry – and remember, every picture can be clicked for higher resolution images or even videos.
We added Vorshlag camber plates in Track Test #2 and SPL Parts lower front arms for even more camber in Track Test #3 (above), with lap times dropping each time and closing in on Porsche GT4RS and 911 GT3 times – all with just camber and some brake cooling. We get into a pretty deep dive on upcoming classes we are building towards with Amy Fair being the main driver for competition in the Darkhorse for the 2024 season. Take a read starting here and hopefully you will enjoy the ride!