The Ford Mustang Dark Horse is hardly what you’d call an underpowered muscle car. With a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 producing 500 horsepower, it’s already got enough grunt to keep most enthusiasts entertained.
However, some Mustang owners simply aren’t satisfied with factory horsepower figures. One owner of a brand-new 2026 Dark Horse decided that 500 angry ponies weren’t quite enough and handed the keys over to Late Model Racecraft (LMR) in Houston, Texas.
The goal was to extract substantially more power without turning the Mustang into an unreliable, temperamental machine. Fortunately, the tuners had an excellent solution involving a big supercharger.
The result is a Dark Horse making roughly 800 horsepower at the crank, putting it very close to the mighty Mustang GTD’s 815 horsepower. Of course, matching a GTD’s power output isn’t the same as matching its overall performance.
A Supercharger Makes All The Difference
LMR fitted the Mustang’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with a Magnuson TVS2650 supercharger, along with an upgraded heat exchanger, intercooler pump, and coolant reservoir. Interestingly, the factory airbox, exhaust, headers, and fuel system were kept standard.
Before the modifications, the Dark Horse produced 421 horsepower and 353 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Afterward, the dyno recorded 676.7 rear-wheel horsepower and roughly 538 lb-ft of torque.
That’s a gain of 256 horsepower at the wheels, all while running on regular 93-octane pump gas. Based on those dyno results, LMR estimates the engine produces around 800 horsepower at the crank.
Still Drives Like A Regular Mustang?
According to LMR’s Steven Fereday, the supercharger delivers a noticeable increase in low-end torque without sacrificing the car’s everyday manners. He says the Mustang still idles and cruises much like a stock vehicle, with the extra muscle arriving whenever the driver presses the accelerator.
During a test drive, Fereday praised the immediate throttle response and the way the car pulled through the gears. The six-speed manual transmission also makes the whole experience much more engaging.
LMR says there’s room for further upgrades, potentially reaching 900 rear-wheel horsepower with additional fueling modifications and E85, but it’s fair to say that the owner already has plenty of power to play with.
GTD Power Without The GTD Price Tag
The Mustang GTD produces 815 horsepower and costs upward of $350,000, while the Dark Horse starts at a fraction of that price. LMR hasn’t disclosed what this supercharger conversion costs, so we can’t calculate the exact savings.
Naturally, the GTD brings sophisticated aerodynamics, suspension technology, and track-focused engineering that this modified Dark Horse doesn’t replicate. Still, getting within shouting distance of its horsepower figure with a supercharger and supporting upgrades is seriously impressive.