- Red Bull video shows mystery Mustang driven by Verstappen.
- Likely supercharged V8 track car sits below Mustang GTD.
- Ford may position it as GT500’s spiritual successor model.
A glossy Red Bull YouTube video celebrating a century of Blue Oval performance was always going to be worth a watch, but we got more than we bargained for when a secret Mustang made its world debut with an F1 legend at the wheel.
About halfway through the video comparing everything from an RS200 to a Ford GT40, Max Verstappen climbs into a car referred to as the 2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC. That badge does not yet exist in Ford’s lineup, at least not yet.
Related: People Laughed At The Mustang GTD’s Price, Then Bought Hundreds Anyway
The presenter, Big Time’s Jeremiah Burton, calls it “the most advanced, powerful, and track capable Dark Horse ever,” which tells us it sits above the standard Dark Horse and well below the absurd, unobtainable Mustang GTD.
The two extra letters are doing a lot of work here. SC strongly suggests supercharged, and that tallies with the sound heard in a new Instagram reel from Ford, in which a Mustang engine can be heard emitting a strong whine under heavy load. Text on the reel tells us we’re listening to – stop me if you’ve heard this – “the most advanced, powerful, and track capable Dark Horse ever,” and says it debuts January 15.
Son of Shelby
The current Dark Horse uses a naturally aspirated 5.0 liter V8 with 500 horsepower (507 PS). If this really is supercharged, it immediately starts to sound like a spiritual successor to the old Shelby GT500, only without the Shelby badge.
Visually it looks the part. The car in the video wears a more aggressive front fascia, carbon fiber, a bigger rear wing, and a lower ride height. It looks planted, wide, and slightly unhinged in exactly the way a top-tier Mustang should. It also has paddle shifters, which means the car shown is an automatic, although that does not rule out a manual appearing later.
Our money’s on SC standing for supercharged, but whether it’s that, Sport Competition or Seriously Crazy, we’re all for Ford building a Mustang that’s wild, fast, and track ready, but without the supercar sticker price that comes with the GTD. Stay tuned for more news.
