I Got The Power: Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC Horsepower Revealed

Ford has officially confirmed the powertrain performance numbers for the incoming 2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC.

The new model is a bridge between its entry-level V8, the Mustang GT, and its most extreme halo car, the Mustang GTD. The Dark Horse SC produces 795 horsepower and 660 lb-ft of torque, landing it between the 500-hp Dark Horse and the 815-hp Mustang GTD.

Shortly after the car's reveal at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, Ford execs hinted the car had "well over 700-horsepower," but we had no idea how much more "well over" would quantify as.

The Dark Horse SC effectively steps into the shoes once worn by the Shelby GT500, which exited the lineup after the S550 generation—it probably would have been a Shelby in another era, but Ford is seemingly interested in distancing itself from the Shelby name as it tries to give the Ford Racing banner some cachet.

Power comes from the automaker's supercharged 5.2-liter V8, an evolution of the “Predator” engine once used in the GT500 and now also found in the GTD. The car's jam easily clips the old GT500’s 760 horsepower, while still leaving enough headroom for the GTD to remain king of the corral.

Ford says the Dark Horse SC development program ran alongside both the Mustang GT3 race car and the GTD, allowing engineering teams to apply lessons learned from endurance racing directly to a road-going model.

“Developing the Mustang Dark Horse SC alongside the Mustang GTD and our Mustang GT3 race car allowed us to create a direct pipeline of innovation,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Racing.

“Our goal was to bring the exact tech transfer and lessons learned from our most grueling endurance races directly to our road cars, giving our customers a true taste of what our race teams experience on the track.”

Pricing for the Dark Horse SC starts at $108,485, with a Track Pack option juicing the bill to $144,985. Order books are already open, and Ford expects the first customer deliveries to begin this summer.

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