2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC Unleashed

The Ford Mustang’s Dark Horse variant is about to receive company in the line-up; today, Ford announced that they will soon be releasing the Dark Horse SC, a no-nonsense track fighting take on the popular muscle car. Actually, that doesn’t really do it justice, does it? This particular Mustang isn’t here to street fight with muscle cars; it’s here to fight the likes of BMW M, Porsche and even Lamborghini on the track, and to beat them.

That “SC” badging (finished in teal, if you so wish), isn’t just some fun alphabet-soup gag (and don’t mix it up with “CS”; that’s also a Mustang trim, but it stands for “California Special” and is a much tamer animal); it stands for “supercharged” because sitting atop the SC’s 5.2-litre V8 is a 3.0-litre roots-style supercharger. Power figures have not yet been announced, but Ford did say that the SC slots between the 500-horsepower Dark Horse and 815-hp GTD in the line-up, so we’re expecting a power figure starting with a seven, and a sub three-second 0-100 km/h time on to a top speed of at least 290 km/h.

The power and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic will surely help attain those goals, but in order to really get there, you need to find a way to get the power down. To wit; Ford has fitted a number of aero pieces including flared rocker panels aft of the front wheels, adjustable carbon rear wing and ducktail spoiler, which contribute to 620 pounds of downforce at 290 km/h. The front grille and air intakes have also been enlarged for better cooling, and there’s a new set of hood scoops that also improve downforce and hood pins come as standard. It’s all functional, but more than that it makes this Mustang look absolutely menacing (which, the designers say, was the goal) even when at a standstill. You really can tell simply from looking at it that it is going to be an absolute monster to drive – in a good way.

Binding all of that action to the ground are a set of available Michelin Sport Cup 2 R tires measuring 315 mm in the back and wrapped around superlight carbon wheels (in Track Pack spec) that shave 54 kg of unsprung weight.

Other neat finds under the hood include MagnaRide dampers with revised springs and spring rates, modified front control arms, forged components and a magnesium strut tower brace. Upgraded six-piston Brembo front brakes come as standard, while massive optional carbon ceramic brakes (measuring 16.5” in the front) are available for heavy track use.

Indeed, a special Mustang wouldn’t be complete without an interior to match the exterior. The SC gets a flat-bottom suede steering wheel with centering band, dimpled transmission shift paddles, five different seat belt colour options, Recaro seats (that can be finished with bright red Dinamica suede) and all the carbon fibre accents one would expect from a no-holds-barred performance vehicle like this. If you want to catch even more eyeballs, a teal package is also available, which splashes the colour on the brake calipers, badges both inside and out and of course, teal-trimmed seatbelts.

A Mustang that looks ready to take on Lambos and Porsches? What a time to be a muscle car fan!

Model	Powertrain	Approx. Power	0–100 km/h	Track Focus	Why It Matters
2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC	5.2-litre V8, supercharged	700+ hp (est.)	3.0 sec (est.)	Extreme	Supercharged Dark Horse with serious aero and chassis upgrades aimed directly at Europe’s track elite
Porsche 911 GT3	4.0-litre flat-six, naturally aspirated	500 hp	3.2 sec	Precision	The gold standard for balance, steering feel, and naturally aspirated track performance
BMW M4 CSL	3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six	550 hp	3.7 sec	Lightweight	Weight reduction and sharpened dynamics deliver BMW M’s most focused coupe
Lamborghini Huracán STO	5.2-litre V10, naturally aspirated	630 hp	3.0 sec	Motorsport-bred	Radical aero and race-inspired setup bring supercar theatrics to the circuit