By Anthony Horner · Founder of FastTrack

Mustang Dark Horse SC: 0-60 & Quarter Mile

The 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC makes 795 horsepower and 660 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged 5.2-liter V8, and in first-drive testing at Sonoma Raceway, The Drive ran the quarter mile in 10.947 seconds at 131.74 mph. Ford has not published an official 0-60 time; Car and Driver estimates 3.0 seconds and The Drive estimates 3.2. Base price is $105,485 including destination.

This is the car that replaces the Shelby GT500 at the top of the regular Mustang lineup, same supercharged "Predator" engine family, same dual-clutch formula, new name. Here is every figure that has actually been verified, what is still an estimate, and how the SC stacks up against the car it succeeds.

What is the Mustang Dark Horse SC?

The Dark Horse SC is the new supercharged flagship of the S650 Mustang range, revealed by Ford in September 2026 with first drives published September 29. The "SC" stands for supercharged: a hand-assembled 5.2-liter V8 built one-at-a-time at Ford's Dearborn Engine Plant, from the same engine family as the $325,000 Mustang GTD and the old Shelby GT500.

Power goes to the rear wheels through a Tremec 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and an electronically controlled Torsen limited-slip differential. There is no manual option. Ford also ported the GTD's speed-dependent Variable Traction Control to the SC, a five-level system comparable to GM's Performance Traction Management.

Verified specs

The quarter-mile number deserves its context: it was a journalist-driven pass on Sonoma's strip using launch control (1,600 rpm, brake-torqued) on a Track Pack car with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires. Ford's own engineers think the stock Track Pack is at least 0.3 seconds quicker than the GT500, which ran 10.4-10.5 in ideal conditions, so a well-driven SC on a prepped surface should land in the low 10s. Plug 131.74 mph into our trap speed calculator and the horsepower math checks out almost exactly for a ~4,100-lb car.

No official 0-60 time, yet

Ford has published no 0-60 claim for the Dark Horse SC, which is unusual for a halo muscle car. The estimates in circulation, Car and Driver's 3.0 seconds and The Drive's 3.2, bracket where the GT500 landed (3.3-3.6 seconds in independent tests, depending on surface and rollout convention).

Until an instrumented test is published, treat any single number you see quoted for this car as an estimate. As our data on real-world 0-60 times shows, even official claims routinely move by three or four tenths between a prepped test surface and real pavement, and 795 hp through two rear tires is exactly the kind of power-to-grip ratio where launch quality decides everything. Run the SC's numbers through the power-to-weight calculator: at 4,263 lbs it carries about 5.4 lbs per horsepower, squarely in modern supercar territory.

Dark Horse SC vs. Shelby GT500

The SC is the straight-line successor in all but badge, 35 more horsepower, the same gearbox concept, and GTD-derived traction software the GT500 never had. The price moved up accordingly: with the Track Pack (carbon-ceramic brakes, Cup 2 Rs, lighter wheels, no rear seat, -150 lbs) The Drive's test car stickered at $155,825, which puts it against a loaded Corvette Z06 rather than other pony cars. Just under the SC, the fastest cars under $100k list shows what the same money minus the supercharger buys.

How it fits among modern muscle cars

A deep-10s factory quarter mile puts the SC near the top of the combustion muscle-car pecking order, behind only the out-of-production 1,025-hp Challenger SRT Demon 170 among recent factory cars. See where it slots against every era in our muscle car quarter-mile times table, and against everything else on the road in quarter-mile times by car.

The honest-measurement angle matters here more than usual: the SC's one published pass was a third-ever drag run by the journalist driving it. The gap between 10.947 and the low-10s Ford believes the car has is pure launch technique and surface prep, the exact variables a GPS timer lets you isolate on your own car, run after run.

FAQ

How fast is the Mustang Dark Horse SC 0-60?

Ford has not published an official 0-60 time. Car and Driver estimates 3.0 seconds and The Drive estimates 3.2 seconds. The old GT500, with 35 fewer horsepower and the same transmission concept, tested at 3.3-3.6 seconds depending on conditions, so a verified low-3s run is plausible but not yet proven.

What is the Dark Horse SC's quarter-mile time?

The only published pass so far is The Drive's 10.947 seconds at 131.74 mph, set at Sonoma Raceway in a Track Pack car on Cup 2 R tires. Ford's engineers expect the car to be at least 0.3 seconds quicker than the GT500's 10.4-10.5 in ideal hands and conditions, which would mean low 10s.

How much does the 2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC cost?

$105,485 to start, including the $1,595 destination charge. Options escalate quickly: the Track Pack car The Drive tested came to $155,825.

Is the Dark Horse SC a Shelby GT500 replacement?

Functionally yes. It uses the same supercharged 5.2-liter V8 family (795 hp vs. the GT500's 760), the same Tremec 7-speed dual-clutch layout, and picks up the Mustang GTD's variable traction control. Ford simply dropped the Shelby branding for the Dark Horse name.

How much horsepower does the Dark Horse SC have?

795 horsepower at 7,400 rpm and 660 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm, from a hand-assembled supercharged 5.2-liter V8 built at Ford's Dearborn Engine Plant.