Mustang Dark Horse in Rolling Road Wind Tunnel

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Ford Motor Company released today photos of its new Mustang Dark Horse on its  vehicle-sized treadmill, aka Rolling Road Wind Tunnel (RRWT). The Rolling Road Wind Tunnel was used to help develop the all-new Mustang® Dark Horse™, which has the most downforce of any 5.0-liter Mustang when equipped with the expensive and optional Handling Package that helps the vehicle stick to the ground both on the street and on the track. (AutoInformed: Ford To Run Mustangs in GT3 and GTD Next Year; Ford Shows 2023 Mustang GT Racer before Bathurst 1000)

“The amount of air moved by our wind tunnel is enough to fill a K-Class blimp in just over 5 seconds,” said John Toth, North America Wind Tunnels Engineering Supervisor. Even by Ford standards this release is remarkably free of useful content. However, the photo is interesting to us, and maybe you?

The Mustang Dark Horse will come with  an optional Gurney flap, which is an extra plate attached to the rear wing to help generate additional downforce, as well as three vertical plates coming off the under body near each front wheel called strakes. The strakes help disrupt airflow thereby generating greater downforce on the underside of the vehicle, which can help the car stick better in corners at higher speeds.

Overall, Mustang Dark Horse includes multiple changes and additional features, including a redesigned front bumper, a lower valence, a spoiler, and unique wheels. The front design is optimized to potentially increase air flow for engine cooling, brakes and air intake, while also reducing front lift. On the Mustang Dark Horse, the lower air spoiler and splitter are unique allowing the car to be tuned for greater downforce. The upgraded handling package on the Dark Horse provides a unique splitter, spoiler, and wheels – changes that may seem small but that make all the difference when hitting the road or track with performance in mind.

“We spent approximately 250 hours in the wind tunnel developing the 2024 Ford Mustang which includes Dark Horse,” said Program Aerodynamicists for Mustang and Bronco, Jonathan Gesek. “The aerodynamics of Mustang Dark Horse along with several other factors have created the most track- and street-capable 5.0-liter Mustang to date.”