Dark Horse leads the 2024 Ford Mustang in Australia

The new Mustang is at least 12 months away from hitting our shores, but Ford has already confirmed that a track-focused Dark Horse will be added to the Australian stable.

“With the introduction of the seventh generation Mustang, Ford Australia will add an exciting new special edition nameplate to the Mustang stable Dark Horse,” Ford Australia said in a statement.

“Dark Horse is a street- and track-ready performance Mustang with striking visual cues and all the capabilities that sports car enthusiasts have come to expect.”

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“With sinister looks and a specially modified 5.0 liter V8, Dark Horse will set a new benchmark for Australian road and track performance.”

The car pictured features unique hood graphics, a front splitter and seemingly more track-focused wheels than the production units. Brembo brakes are also featured, while the rear houses a racy spoiler. The grille is new, as is the Blue Ember paintwork.

Under the skin, it features a Torsen limited-slip differential and a larger rear anti-roll bar, along with a more serious strut tower brace and new dampers up front.

The spec sheet for the US Dark Horse appears to be aligned with what should be coming Down Under in the outgoing Mustang Mach 1.

It was touted as a track-oriented version of the GT before Ford Australia watered down its specifications, apologized to customers and offered incentives to those who kept their orders, and paid a fine from the ACCC for misleading behavior.

Ford hasn’t detailed how much power the Dark Horse will have from its 5.0-liter V8 engine, but says it’s targeting at least 373 kW. Expect a choice of a 10-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.

Performance and fuel economy numbers are still being certified for the full range, so aren’t being announced – but Ford says the Mustang will have more power, greater efficiency and faster 0-100km/h sprint times across the board than the current car.

The V8 of the previous model produces 339 kW of power and 556 Nm of torque in the GT version and 345 kW of power in the Mach 1 version.

MORE: All the details on the 2024 Ford Mustang

The 2024 Mustang lineup is underpinned by a version of the outgoing sixth-generation platform, which Ford said was the “best fit” for the car.

There’s a carried-over suspension architecture, although there have been a few updates including new aluminum lower wishbones and new rear linkages. The Magneride adaptive damping system remains optional.

Ford says there’s a new steering rack and faster steering ratio across the range, along with a new breed of safety equipment including adaptive cruise control, lane centering, evasive steering assist and reverse brake assist.

Perhaps the biggest stylistic departure occurs inside the Mustang, where the dual-bonnet dashboard – double-skinned in Ford parlance – is replaced with a more linear unit.

Premium models and up feature a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 12.3-inch instrument display in a single wraparound housing, while base models have standalone displays. Ford’s latest operating system, Sync 4, runs on the touchscreen.

The physical climate controls are gone, replaced with shortcuts at the bottom of the central touchscreen. There’s a single row of physical switches, including the hazard lights, while finally there’s a storage compartment underneath that also houses a wireless charging pad.

All models feature a flattened steering wheel, a first for the Mustang. Automatic models feature silver-finish paddle shifters. Like the outgoing car, the digital instrument cluster has different layouts for different driving modes.

Ford says it looked to the outgoing car’s graphics, as well as those of the GT and Mustang Mach-E, for inspiration, and there are edgier, more modern elements with copper-colored highlights.

In a retro twist, Ford also developed a 1980s-inspired theme for the digital instrument cluster, simulating the instruments on the long-running 1979-93 Mustang that rode on the Fox platform. The numbers even glow green at night in true 1980s Ford fashion.

MORE: Everything Ford Mustang