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Ask a Mustang driving force what it wants, and they’ll probably tell you a faster horse. Ford is happy to offer just that in those days. From the four-cylinder EcoBoost car to the new Dark Horse model, the seventh-generation Mustang drives harder than its predecessor. All degrees of competence. The last of those race cars, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, sits below the Mustang GT3 and Mustang GT4 for base racing, as well as a new single-brand series Ford will launch next year.
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The Dark Horse R takes its call and many of its parts from the street-legal Mustang Dark Horse functionality model. However, the “level” race car is not for casual enthusiasts. It costs $145,000. This is what makes a Dark Horse R and how it differs from the road car.
The Mustang Dark Horse R begins life in the same factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, as all production Mustangs. The finished bodies are removed from the line and sent to a racing workshop where they are assembled into festival cars. Additional welds in the design and a whole protective cage protects the engine in the event of a collision.
There are also front and rear tow hooks, reinforced lift points and mooring rings on the frame to tow the R to the track.
The Dark Horse R’s 5. 0-liter V8, Tremec 3160 six-speed manual transmission, and Torsen limited-slip differential were removed from the production car with only minor modifications.
Both Dark Horses use exclusive calibration and connecting rods and bearings borrowed from the Shelby GT500 to increase the strength from 480 horsepower in the GT to 500 horsepower.
Racecar-specific upgrades come with an advanced lubrication formula and a Ford Performance oil pan to reduce wind and keep the engine lubricated in high-speed corners.
The transmission and rear differential also take advantage of cooling innovations and a Borla racing exhaust makes the V-8 simply, outrageously, spectacularly strong.
The R swaps Dark Horse’s popular MagneRide surprise dampers for manually adjustable Multimatic DSSV surprise dampers. The surprise drawer shock absorbers, which have been used in cars such as the Ford GT and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2, offer more consistent functionality as the oil heats up internally. heavy driving. The R also comes with adjustable tilt plates and adjustable stabilizer bars so the suspension can be tailored to the track and driver preferences. the front and 11. 0 x 19 inches at the rear.
Both the Dark Horse and R use six-piston Brembo monobloc aluminium front calipers, but that’s where the similarities end. They weigh 6. 9 pounds each. A front jaw on a street car weighs 17. 0 pounds. You can literally see the difference in weight, as the R jaw is particularly smaller.
The Dark Horse’s larger calipers are needed to accommodate larger pads, which sweep a larger surface domain for smoother modulation of braking force. Duration of a 12- or 24-hour staying power run. On the rear axle, the R uses a single pad, but the four-piston monobloc cast disc and calipers are the same as on the road-going Dark Horse.
As you’d expect from a race car, the interior has been stripped of all comfort and weight. All that’s left is a Recaro racing seat, a Sparco quick-release guidance steering wheel, and a racing harness and MoTeC knowledge recorder. A mobile fuel and chimney suppression formula are also included.
To make sure the Dark Horse R can run, Ford is releasing a series of single-brand specs called the Mustang Challenge in partnership with IMSA, the Mazda MX-5 Cup sanctioning framework and the North American Porsche Carrera Cup.
Beginning in 2024, the Mustang Challenge will be held as a series across five or six IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship events. Ford is not yet saying which places are on the calendar, however, each race weekend will come with two practice consultations, a qualifying consultation and two script races with bills for the best.
Enjoy more photos of the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car and stay tuned for more information once we get our hands on the wheel.