Dark Horse SC vs. GTD vs. GT500: Supercharged Showdown

Car and Driver strapped its testing gear to the 2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC, the now-retired Shelby GT500, and the current king of the pony car lineup, the GTD. The results show a clear hierarchy—but not in every category.

Car and Driver reports that the Dark Horse SC makes 795 horsepower from its supercharged 5.2-liter V-8, beating the GT500’s 760 horses. It hits 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat and runs the quarter-mile in 10.8 seconds at 134 mph. The GT500 trails by six-tenths to 60 mph and finishes the quarter in 11.4 seconds at 132 mph.

The GTD, despite being the heaviest at 4,404 pounds, is quickest of the three. Its 815-hp V-8 launches it to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and through the quarter in 10.6 seconds at 133 mph. In Car and Driver’s acceleration tests, the GTD takes gold, the Dark Horse SC silver, and the GT500 bronze.

Braking tells a different story. The Dark Horse SC stops from 70 mph in 131 feet and from 100 mph in 261 feet, besting the GTD’s 132 and 262 feet and the GT500’s 142 and 279 feet. Car and Driver credits the SC’s Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires.

Around the skidpad, the GTD leads with 1.17 g’s of lateral grip, followed by the GT500 at 1.13 g’s. The Dark Horse SC, set up with straight-line speed in mind rather than maximum cornering grip, managed 1.06 g’s.

Pricing sets these three far apart. Car and Driver says the Dark Horse SC starts at $108,085 for a coupe, or $144,585 with the Track Pack. The GTD starts at $327,960. The GT500, new in 2020, stickered at $92,495—about $120,572 in today’s dollars.

Car and Driver notes that the Dark Horse SC is the only one of the three offered as a convertible, giving buyers open-air access to its supercharged V-8 sound.

• Car and Driver
• Dark Horse SC
• Ford Mustang
• Mustang GTD
• performance comparison
• Shelby GT500