I don't get the Dark Horse vs GT

[smurfslayer]

Bottomline is, if you care about your hard earned money being well spent… get a GT or GT premium. Not enough benefits to justify the DH over GT premium.

The public usually can't tell the difference. Unless they see the badges saying what the car is.
The enthusiasts can tell the difference.

I don’t get it either. GT with active exhaust is actually 486hp out the factory door 14 less than the DH, but the DH is 122lbs heavier. It takes very little to bump the GT up 14hp and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper. I have the base GT with active exhaust and the A10 and I have now twice run up against a DH with the clunky 6 manual and beat them both times. So why?

During the Fox body years -aka, the Fairmont with a V8 and better aesthetics, the LX 5.0 notchback 5 speed was faster in the 1/4 mile than the LX 5.0 hatch, which was faster than GT.

Time passes, things change.

I’m glad that the owners who don’t get it didn’t get it. If you’re only cruising around the mall parking lot after an obligatory stop at the starbucks drive thru, save the $$$. The Dark Horse isn’t a need, it’s a want. For that matter, the Mustang line is a want, not a need.

At least we’re not rolling around in a prius, hypermiling in the left lane.

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[AlloyPony]

I have a 2024 GT with PP, Auto, NP, active exhaust. MSRP $52,575 but I got Plan X price plus a $1250 discount so total $48,838 and that was last December. My car looks and drives fantastic and I get a lot of compliments and people often ask if it's a dark horse. I don't know if I could have got a DH last year which I doubt and if I did it probably would have been $30K more. I have 486 HP vs 500 and the tuning you get with the PP. So that's why I don't get the DH, enlighten me.

Nothing to enlighten you about. You've already figured it out.

 

[Upacurb]

Are you still all arguing about this? lol

Dark Horse = better track car (based on everything I read- and the fact it uses lots of parts from my car)

I thought my old GT PP1 handled great........until I drove a GT350

If you are still comparing the 2 and think the only difference is 14hp....well then.......

A. You have never driven a Dark Horse
B. You dont have enough experience driving at more then 7/10ths to know the difference (around a corner)

And to the person who called the Tremec clunky and was bragging about your A10 being faster then an M6 Dark Horse....you might as well be comparing tow ratings between the 2 if your going to come up with dumb comparisons....

 

[robvas]

Dark Horse owner: we are superior!

Dark Horse owner that gets beat in a race by a GT owner: you don't understand our cars!

At least the GT350 guys had a different engine, body parts, Shelby name...

 

[krisk]

Are you still all arguing about this? lol

Dark Horse = better track car (based on everything I read- and the fact it uses lots of parts from my car)

I thought my old GT PP1 handled great........until I drove a GT350

If you are still comparing the 2 and think the only difference is 14hp....well then.......

A. You have never driven a Dark Horse
B. You dont have enough experience driving at more then 7/10ths to know the difference (around a corner)

And to the person who called the Tremec clunky and was bragging about your A10 being faster then an M6 Dark Horse....you might as well be comparing tow ratings between the 2 if your going to come up with dumb comparisons....

Truth. It makes me laugh just like the people on the SuperDuty forum who argue about which truck configuration has the best acceleration.

 

[krisk]

Dark Horse owner: we are superior!

Dark Horse owner that gets beat in a race by a GT owner: you don't understand our cars!

At least the GT350 guys had a different engine, body parts, Shelby name...

I have an A10 GT, and I love it. I beat a MT6 Dark Horse by 1/2 second consistently at the drag strip. I also have tracked my car and it does great, but a Dark Horse would beat my car on the track if both are stock. I just spent a bunch of time adding a differential cooler to my GT because it overheats on the track.

If your primary goal is to be the fastest in the 1/4 mile, then get the A10 GT. If your primary goal is to be track ready off the showroom floor, then get the Dark Horse (A10 or MT6, your choice). If you are going forced induction, then do what you want, but the Dark Horse has beefed up internals which may hold up better with boost.

Pick what works best for your use and enjoy your car!

 

[Q6543]

The 14HP is kind of a moot point. It’s not like it’s averaging 14HP under the curve through the band.

The DH is revving maybe a few hundred rpm higher giving it the minuscule edge up top, for a brief window of maybe a tenth of a second.

 

[Upacurb]

If I was build a go fast in a straight line car…

base GT + A10 + Whipple to start …

all those extra coolers are just extra weight on the DH with no real benefit for drag racing

but don’t feel bad DH owners … the DH is a way better platform to build a drag car from then my GT350R … in fact I think my car is probably the worst car to choose if you wanted to build a drag car…

 

[krisk]

If I was build a go fast in a straight line car…

base GT + A10 + Whipple to start …

all those extra coolers are just extra weight on the DH with no real benefit for drag racing

but don’t feel bad DH owners … the DH is a way better platform to build a drag car from then my GT350R … in fact I think my car is probably the worst car to choose if you wanted to build a drag car…

The GT350R is certainly built for the track. I see more GT350Rs at the track than just about any other car, except for the Miatas. I was talking with a GT350R owner the last time out and he talked about how great the car was, even with the quart of oil it consumes every 600 miles.

 

[FarNorth]

The A10 convertible is faster than the DH M6 in a straight line, but that is only one metric.

Yes, mine is the coupe, no spare, so even lighter. If you track race yes I can see that but all I get is at a light where multiple lanes converge into one ahead and a DH pulls up beside me to show me how it’s done. Yup, straight line and he pulls in behind me. On one occasion pounding his steering wheel.

 

[FarNorth]

Speaking for myself, I bought the 6 speed for an experience that is fading away into obscurity. I know it's slower in a straight line but it's far more fun for me to drive than just pressing my foot down.

I would have gone for a 4 speed but 6 to me is just a nuisance to constantly deal with. So each to his own I guess.

 

[Farmer Fran]

Yes, mine is the coupe, no spare, so even lighter. If you track race yes I can see that but all I get is at a light where multiple lanes converge into one ahead and a DH pulls up beside me to show me how it’s done. Yup, straight line and he pulls in behind me. On one occasion pounding his steering wheel.

Mine is heavy at 4230lbs.

 

[FarNorth]

I keep hearing about the DH handling. I must go drive one. I think my GT handles like a go-cart so it would be nice to compare.

 

[Upacurb]

The GT350R is certainly built for the track. I see more GT350Rs at the track than just about any other car, except for the Miatas. I was talking with a GT350R owner the last time out and he talked about how great the car was, even with the quart of oil it consumes every 600 miles.

Yep - depending on year.....some do consume more oil then others.....and much much more on the track.....

The 19s and 20s don't seem to consume hardly any oil when they went to the GT500 block and changed some stuff (why I specifically went after a 19/20- not the same as the track but if I beat the hell out of my car on the street- doesnt burn any oil)

The only problem the 19s/20s had was there was a run of defective cam tensioners which unfortunately caused some VooDoos to end their life....(Ford did a recall and fixed the problem)

I would definitely say the VooDoo is more "temperamental" then the Coyote....there are rules you have to follow when you own one or you definitely risk ending your engines life......it is definitely more high maintenance........

 

[FarNorth]

Mine is heavy at 4230lbs.

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