There are some cars you drive because you’re curious about them. Then there are the cars you’ve wanted to get behind the wheel of for years.
The Ford Mustang sits firmly in the second camp for me.
For a lot of petrolheads, the Mustang is a dream car. It’s one of those names that transcends generations, with a formula that, despite changing considerably over the decades, remains wonderfully simple: big engine, rear-wheel drive and plenty of theatre.
I had driven a much older Mustang before, way back on a track day. I loved almost everything about it. The noise, the looks, the sense of occasion. The handling, being a car from the 1960s, left rather more to be desired.
So, when I got the chance to drive the latest Ford Mustang Dark Horse V8 (2026) at the SMMT Drive Live event at Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester, how could I possibly say no?
This isn’t a full road test. I only had a relatively short amount of time with the car and even managed to find some traffic along the way. But sometimes you don’t need days with a car to work out whether it has character.
And the Dark Horse has plenty of it.
A rare breed
The timing of driving a Mustang like this feels particularly interesting.
We’re living through a period where electric cars are becoming increasingly common. I like EVs and there are some incredibly fast ones out there, but drive enough of them and certain characteristics can begin to feel familiar.
Instant acceleration. The whoosh of an electric motor. Huge performance delivered almost effortlessly.
Sometimes, though, what you want as a petrolhead, and the clue is probably in the name, is the raw experience of a combustion engine.
The Mustang Dark Horse delivers exactly that.
Under that long bonnet sits Ford’s 5.0-litre Coyote V8, pushing out around 500hp and 418lb-ft of torque. It has slightly more power than the Mustang GT and, on paper, that might not sound like a huge difference.
But the Dark Horse isn’t simply about adding more power.
The whole package has been sharpened to make this a more focused Mustang.
You could call it a rare breed. And if you’ve never experienced something like this, you really should while you still can.
Push the button
From the outside, the Dark Horse retains the modern Mustang shape we’ve come to recognise, complete with the latest interpretation of those iconic looks.
Step inside and things have moved on considerably.
There’s a lot of screen.
The cabin features large digital displays which can be configured in various ways. I didn’t have enough time with the car to properly explore everything available, but there’s clearly plenty to get into.
For someone who loves traditional analogue dials, I’m still not completely convinced that screens are always the answer. But the technology doesn’t dominate the experience once you push the start button.
Because that’s when the V8 fires into life.
And suddenly you remember exactly why you wanted to drive this car.
It roars.
Three pedals. Six gears. One V8
Then there was another very welcome sight.
A manual gearbox.
The Dark Horse I drove had a six-speed manual, and it completely changes the character of the experience.
The shifts are short and confident, and the gearbox was surprisingly easy to get comfortable with. Considering I hadn’t driven a manual for a while, it took virtually no time at all before everything felt natural again.
And then you start changing gear simply because you can.
Downshift.
Hear the V8.
Downshift again.
Hear it again.
I wasn’t in the car for a huge amount of time and, yes, I managed to get stuck in traffic. Was I bothered about constantly changing gear?
Hell no.
If anything, it reminded me how much involvement we’ve started to lose from modern performance cars.
There was one little digital feature I particularly appreciated. The display tells you exactly which gear you’re in. Handy when you’re having far too much fun and have forgotten whether you’re in third or fourth.
The Dark Horse will rev to around 7,500rpm too, so there’s plenty of opportunity to let that Coyote V8 stretch its legs.
And hear that exhaust.
More than just straight-line muscle
The stereotype of an American muscle car has traditionally been pretty straightforward.
Huge engine. Lots of power. Great in a straight line. Corners? Maybe not so much.
That’s certainly what I remembered from my experience with the classic Mustang.
The Dark Horse is a very different animal.
It gets uniquely tuned MagneRide magnetic damping and stiffer springs as standard, while the braking system includes substantial Brembo brakes designed to cope with much harder use.
My route took me onto some country lanes around Worcester, which gave me the chance to see whether the Dark Horse could do more than simply make a brilliant noise.
It can.
It handled remarkably well and, despite some less-than-perfect road surfaces, the suspension dealt with bumps without making the car uncomfortable.
The seats helped too. They’re supportive but comfortable, adding to the feeling that this is something you could actually spend a decent amount of time driving rather than simply taking out for the occasional blast.
Surprisingly easy to live with
Visibility was good too.
I could see around the car easily, including over that substantial bonnet. In fact, visibility was better than in some of the EVs I drove on the same day.
There was one slightly odd detail. Despite being a right-hand-drive car, some elements still feel like they’ve been designed primarily around the left-hand-drive Mustang.
My one wish was for a little more adjustment from the passenger-side door mirror. That said, it took me only a few minutes to get used to it and it didn’t cause any problems during the drive.
I didn’t have enough time to properly investigate storage, but you do get rear seats and a boot.
Neither turns the Mustang into a family estate, obviously, but it gives the car considerably more practicality than many other performance and sports cars.
And that’s part of what makes the Mustang appealing.
It has so much going for it.
Never meet your heroes?
Driving the Mustang Dark Horse left me thinking about something I wasn’t necessarily expecting.
I wanted to drive another Mustang.
Not a newer one. An older one.
I’d love to find a V8 manual from a few years ago, with more traditional dials and less digital technology, and drive it back-to-back with this generation.
Because there might be a sweet spot somewhere in the Mustang timeline.
That isn’t to say I disliked the technology in the Dark Horse. Far from it. The modern displays, chassis technology and upgraded interior all help make this a Mustang you could genuinely use regularly.
But there’s something about the combination of a V8, a manual gearbox and traditional instruments that appeals enormously.
Perhaps that’s the next mission.
For now, though, I’m just pleased cars like the Dark Horse still exist.
We’ve all heard the saying: never meet your heroes.
I’m glad I met this one.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse was driven as part of the SMMT Drive Live event at Stanbrook Abbey, Worcester, on 23 September 2026. This article is based on a short first drive and reflects initial impressions rather than a full road test.
