Ford’s Mustang ladder keeps getting taller, and the new 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC is the latest rung for the people who want something nastier than a standard Dark Horse but do not need the full-on, headline-grabbing GTD experience. If you have been waiting for the next Shelby GT500 to show up and fill that familiar gap, this is effectively Ford’s answer, even if the Shelby name is not part of the script this time around.

The “SC” stands for supercharged, and the big story is what sits under that more aggressive hood. Instead of building on the Dark Horse’s 5.0-liter, Ford drops in the supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V8, the same family of engine that powered the previous GT500 and now shows up in the GTD. Ford is staying quiet on official output for the Dark Horse SC for now, but it is positioned as the most powerful Dark Horse variant, which strongly hints at a serious jump beyond the Dark Horse’s 500-horsepower neighborhood.

Power is routed through a Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sounds very familiar to anyone who followed the last GT500. Ford says it is a modified version of that setup, and the supporting hardware reads like it was designed with repeat hot laps in mind: a carbon-fiber driveshaft, a cooled rear differential, and upgraded half shafts to handle the extra abuse.

Where the Dark Horse SC really starts to separate itself is in the chassis work. MagneRide dampers are standard, spring rates are bumped up, and Ford reworked key suspension pieces including anti-roll bars, knuckles, and control arms. There’s also a lightweight magnesium strut tower brace, and several components move from steel to forged aluminum to help trim mass where it matters. The track is widened by more than an inch, and Ford also revised steering and rear geometry to make the car feel sharper and more responsive.

Braking gets the proper upgrade too, with Brembo hardware featuring six-piston calipers up front and four-piston units out back. Drivers also get Variable Traction Control with multiple levels of intervention, which is the kind of feature that can make a track day more productive instead of just more dramatic. It suggests Ford expects owners to actually use what this Mustang is built to do, not just park it at cars and coffee.

For the hardcore crowd, the optional Track Pack is where things get especially interesting. Ford swaps in wider carbon-fiber wheels, brings in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup R tires, and offers carbon-ceramic brakes sourced from the GTD, including massive 16.5-inch front rotors. Ford claims the Track Pack can cut about 150 pounds, which is not just a spec-sheet flex, it is the kind of change you feel in braking zones and direction changes.

The styling upgrades are not just for show, either. The front end gets more serious cooling attention, and that huge hood vent is designed to manage temperatures while contributing to aero. Out back, you get a diffuser and wing treatment that gets even more purposeful with the Track Pack, including a ducktail and a larger manually adjustable carbon-fiber wing. Ford says the Track Pack aero can generate 620 pounds of downforce at 180 mph, which gives you a pretty clear idea of how track-focused the Dark Horse SC is meant to be. Inside, changes are subtle but on theme, with GTD-inspired steering wheel details, available Recaro seats with the Track Pack, and a few appearance packages for buyers who want their new top-shelf Dark Horse to look as special as it drives.

Orders open at the end of March, with deliveries expected to start this summer, and pricing plus final power figures are still to come. Until Ford drops the official numbers, the 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC is already easy to understand: it is the spiritual GT500 follow-up for drivers who want the supercharged soundtrack, the DCT punch, and a chassis built to take repeated track punishment, without going all the way to GTD territory.