Photo: YouTube/Hennessey Performance
The Ford Mustang celebrates the 60th anniversary of its name this year, along with years of uninterrupted production, Ford’s flagship moniker for longevity among Blue Oval models. The Dark Horse is the factory performer of the moment, and its aura is constantly being savaged by contenders from all over who want to challenge the legendary pony to a fast quarter-mile race.
Traditionally, when we think of the Mustang in a drag racing context, we tend to associate it with other classic-era ponies, such as the Camaro, Challenger, Firebird, or perhaps the Javelin. Unfortunately, with all of the aforementioned nameplates being faithful denizens of the archives, the list is populated by every single other sporty-attitude marque from both Europe and Asia.
This time, the Mustang has taken up the challenge of a classy German, but that's not saying much, as all the big German names have some very athletic examples up their sleeves. BMW may not be considered the most performance-focused automaker in the Land of the Wrench, but it has the most powerful letter of the alphabet under its belt. The thoroughbred M Sport has always given any competitor a run for their money, in many cases beating them without a qualm.
But what could a Ford Mustang consider a fair competitor to the Bavarian stable? An M8 coupe is probably the closest competitor, save for a couple of details that tip the scales wildly in favor of the European grand tourer. In terms of power, an M8 could compete with a Mustang, unless the Ford is a very wild stallion that doesn't give in to anyone.
Photo: YouTube/Hennessey Performance
The Dark Horse would be the absolute best Mustang Ford has to throw into the fray, and it wouldn’t measure up. The American’s five-liter V8 can only boast 500 naturally aspirated horsepower (506 hp), while the Beemer’s twin-turbo V8, despite displacing just 4.4 liters, spits out 617 hp (625 hp). Plus, the two-door German fighter has xDrive, or all-wheel drive, in layman’s terms, while the Mustang has been a true rear-wheel drive machine since day one.
However, there’s always a way to even things out a bit, and the answer is right under the hood of the BMW: forced induction. Sometimes, displacement complements (not replaces), and Hennessey Performance Vehicles has proven that theory time and time again. Hence, the H850 Dark Horse unleashed by the speed freaks of Sealey, Texas.
Now, that’s some serious competition for any supercar, and not just an M-soaked 850-horsepower, 650-pound-feet (862 PS, 881 Nm) BMW. Suddenly, the M8 is outclassed in horsepower, torque, horsepower, and the underdog, on paper. The BMW’s 553 lb-ft (750 Nm), paired with all-wheel drive, translates into a zero-to-oney time of three seconds flat. That’s two-tenths faster than the Hennessey-ized Dark Horse, and that’s a very strong warning sign.
Photo: YouTube/Hennessey Performance
The M8 is limited to 155 mph (250 km/h), but that can be solved with a set of performance tires and some “electronic limiter deletion” magic. Unleashed on full throttle, the BMW sports car can reach 190 mph (306 km/h), which is almost scary for anything with a five-figure price tag. That’s why the H850 costs $100,000, so it doesn’t hold back when pitted against a $140,000 German M5 in a leisure suit (that’s basically what an M8 is, an M5 with fewer doors).
The Hennessey Dark Horse Mustang is a bit slower than the M8, but it does the obligatory quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 133 mph (214 km/h). At this point, I should point out that a Car and Driver test of the M8 returned the following numbers: zero to sixty in two and a half seconds, quarter-mile in 10.7 seconds, at 129 mph (208 km/h).
Suddenly, that extra 240 horsepower on the Hennessey Mustang doesn’t seem like a big deal on paper. On the pavement, the M8 hangs on from the finish line, putting two car lengths between itself and the H850 for about an eighth of a mile. When the supercharger kicks in, the Dark Horse pops the Beemer’s doors off, stomping it like there’s no finish line in sight.
One question, though: why did the car magazine get better results? Because the Hennessey drivers don't support that claim, as we can all see in the video below. I'm not saying they did it on purpose; there are so many factors to consider, as I'm sure you all know, from track surface to tires to fuel to driver reaction times to temperature and humidity to altitude and whatnot. However, there's no denying that the Hennessey-tinged Dark Horse is a wild, untamed horse that can stand tall and proud in the lineup of great Ford Mustang performance icons.
