Two thoroughbred pony cars duke it out.
For decades, the pinnacle of Ford Mustang performance was shown through Shelby Mustangs, which have offered increased power, racing-inspired engineering, and dialed-in performance focus. However, with the introduction of the newest generation of the Ford Mustang, Ford has decided to up the ante on the Mustang without the Shelby name, and has introduced the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
With up to 500 horsepower coming from its 5.0-liter V8 engine, it’s one of the most powerful Ford Mustangs yet, and now that it’s out and on the road, one of the premier specialists in American performance simply had to put it to the test. Of course, that specialist is Hennessey, based in Texas and responsible for some of the most incredible performance upgrades for American cars, as well as some of the world’s most incredible hypercars.
To test the mettle of the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Hennessey decided to race it against the reigning poster performance Mustang: the Shelby GT350R. Both cars are stock, with the Dark Horse boasting a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 with 500 horsepower paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and the Shelby sporting a 526-horsepower 5.2-liter V8, with a six-speed manual instead. The two cars took to Hennessey’s Pennzoil Proving Grounds to see which is faster.
In a short drag race with a rolling start, both cars proved that they were quick and highly capable of delivering immense power and reaching high speeds, but due to the increased power of the Shelby, as well as its weight savings by roughly 140 pounds compared to the Dark Horse, it was able to come out on top. Both of these cars are incredibly powerful and quick, and prove that American performance is not to be underestimated, but in this race, the Shelby GT350R was the winner.
