Interior Mustang Dark Horse - predatory style and sporting ambitions

To highlight the superb handling of the new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, the design team created a color palette and material palette not available on other versions, highlighting the model's dark aura and digital age style.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse 2024

• The new seventh generation Mustang Dark Horse™ combines: Powerful 5.0 liter V8 enginematerials of the highest quality, colors, patterns and interior finishes that emphasize predatory style and high-performance ambition,
• This version's signature features lend the Mustang Dark Horse's driver-centric cab the ultimate in craftsmanship and exclusive sporty styling.
• Exceptionally ferocious Dark Horse interior, cooler shades of blue with Indigo Blue accents, blue anodized titanium manual shift knob and exclusive Blue Ember Metallic exterior trim.

“The dark personality of the competitive Mustang Dark Horse inspired us to choose colors and materials that would emphasize the model’s athleticism,” said Carrie Kennerley, senior color and materials designer at Ford. “We spent more time in the cockpit to ensure that the look and feel of a high-performance driver matches the performance that the Mustang Dark Horse is capable of.”

Sports interior design.

At the center of the Mustang Dark Horse's interior is an all-new blue anodized titanium shift knob. The lightweight six-speed manual shifter is hollow, improving its ability to maintain cooler temperatures in warm weather. Customers opting for the 10-speed SelectShift® automatic transmission can enjoy near-instantaneous shifting thanks to the silver anodized paddle shifters and also enjoy the feel of metal.

The Mustang Dark Horse features a flat-bottom steering wheel covered in suede for better traction, while bright indigo blue contrast stitching accentuates the dashboard, doors, seats, transmission shroud, and center console trim and lid. The sporty steering wheel enhances the digital comfort experience with buttons that control systems, including driving mode selection, instrument cluster and the 13.2-inch SYNC® 4 center console, which is elegantly angled towards the driver and hidden behind durable clear glass.

Affordable and first-in-class electronic drift brake* trimmed in leather. The anodized lever is precise, helping the rider to easily adjust the rear wheel slip on the track until it locks up completely in corners when drifting.

Sporty customers can opt for a stylish package that includes specially shaped RECARO® seats with Deep Indigo Blue cushions and Bright Indigo Blue stitching. Black Dinamica suede sewn into the middle of the seat improves stability in heavy lateral g-forces. The blue theme is also used on the Deep Indigo Blue seat belts and covers, with distinctive blue accents on the underside of the perforations.

The design team also developed all-new colors and interior trim, with bezels and vents finished in Black Alley, a dark metallic sheen that replaces the familiar bright silver hues found on other Mustang trims.

Interior textures are designed to highlight Mustang Dark Horse's contemporary aesthetic, from aggressive animal skin patterns to techno-inspired white noise and carbon-inspired grit. For a more technical look and gloss reduction, lasers were used to create grain on the surface of the top of the dashboard. A carbon fiber motif covers the front of the dashboard and doors and harmonizes with the design concept of the three-spoke steering wheel. All leather and vinyl-wrapped pieces have a luxurious texture that emphasizes their shape and sporty performance.

Every Mustang Dark Horse has a nameplate on the instrument panel with the car's chassis serial number.

Changeable Blue Ember color

From the very beginning, the Mustang design team knew that the Dark Horse needed a distinctive paint job that would reflect its name - something dark and ominous, but sophisticated enough to grab the attention of passers-by for a long time. The result is Blue Ember Metallic, a color that contains special dark blue pigments with a warm amber tint that give the outer coat a dramatic color change under varying lighting conditions and viewing angles.

“If color is a reflection of the car's personality, then Blue Ember transforms the Mustang Dark Horse and showcases the natural color of the horse hidden in the fastback's chiselled shape,” said Kennerly. "There are many elements that make Blue Ember intriguing and elusive at the same time, suggesting just how special the Mustang Dark Horse is."

To create the Blue Ember, the Ford Color Mastering team combined complementary or harmonizing colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Special effect pigments were used in greater amounts than other polishes to enhance color by reflecting light, creating a striking amber glow that changes throughout the day.

You can choose from two types of veneer that enhance the model's dark aura.

Vinyl and hand-painted graphics that accentuate the Mustang's dark, muscular silhouette use a consistent visual language throughout the vehicle and artistically highlight its performance.

Vinyl graphics highlight the raised center of the hood, while Tarnished Dark Matte and Piano Black finishes match the signature Dark Horse. The Exterior Package also includes special graphics on the hood that echo the base Dark Horse graphics but visually match the black painted roof. The third color of the vinyl stickers - glossy black - gives the Dark Horse an even more menacing look.

The high-quality graphics on the veneer stripes dot the i's that the Mustang design team put in to make it worthy of the Dark Horse name. Reminiscent of the air flowing around a car, piano black stripes run from the center of the grille to the hood, roof and rear spoiler. Faded dark elements surround the central black stripe, adding to the ferocious style of the dark horse. The graphics are handcrafted using a special process not used in the production of accessories for any other version of the Mustang.

The new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse will go on sale in the US from summer 2023. and assembled at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.

*Class is 300 hp high-performance sports cars. Drift brake is for closed track use only. It must not be used on public roads. For details on usage, see the user manual.

Photo: Ford