First Ride: 2009 Saleen Dark Horse Mustang
by Drew Phillips on Sep 27th 2008 at 6:06PM 
"A dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed on the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph." Beautiful words from the quotable Benjamin Disraeli, and inspiration for the name of the latest Mustang to come from Saleen's stable. Due to the car's name it may sound like our title is a clever play on words, but the truth is our seat time was limited to the passenger seat. We can't blame Saleen for being careful with the car - the 2009 Dark Horse Mustang you see here is the first one off the assembly line and is the only one built so far. To their credit, Saleen did take us out to Willow Springs Raceway outside of Los Angeles for some flying laps, so we were able to experience the full capabilities of the car's performance. Follow the jump to hear about our day at the track with perhaps the most fearsome production Mustang ever built.
Gallery: 2009 Saleen Dark Horse Mustang
All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
We arrived at the track to find the Dark Horse yet to be uncovered, but that gave us a chance to take a look at some of the other Saleen offerings that they'd brought along. We naturally headed straight for the S302E Sterling Edition, built to celebrate Saleen's 25th anniversary. Not only does it come complete with a 620 hp / 600 lb-ft supercharged 5.0-liter V8, it also gets unique touches like handpainted "Gun Sight" racing stripes, Black Diamond alcantara seats, special 5-spoke alloys, navigation, and a serialized plaque. Those who purchase the car are also get a first-class trip to Detroit for a tour of the Saleen factory and dinner with company executives. Sounds like fun, but the cost of admission is $99,995 and only 25 will be built.
Gallery: 2008 Saleen Sterling Edition Mustang
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum is the Racecraft 420S Mustang, which targets more value-oriented customers. With a focus on pure performance, the 420S offers Saleen's supercharger system and suspension with a few visual enhancements for under $40,000. If customers want just a little more, they have the option to add on several upgrades from Saleen's Speedlab parts division.
Gallery: 2009 Racecraft 420S Mustang
Following our quick review of Sterling Edition and the 420S, we headed over to the Dark Horse for its official unveiling by Saleen's recently appointed CEO Chris Theodore, followed by a track session. During our ride-along with Derek Hartland, Saleen's chassis engineer, we were reacquainted with how brutally fast Saleen can make its Mustangs. The supercharged 302-cubic-inch V8 forcefully pins you to your seat, while massive 15-inch cross-drilled rotors with 6-piston calipers pitch you forward just as hard. The Dark Horse is one of the better-handling Mustangs we've been in, complete with Saleen shocks, springs, and their second generation watts-link system. The combination of supercharger whine and deep V8 rumble sounds great, backing up the Dark Horse's menacing appearance.
Unfortunately, all of this comes at a price. Saleen didn't give us a specific number, but expect the Dark Horse to come in right around $90,000. Like the Sterling Edition, only 25 will be built, with production beginning in November. Obvious comparisons will be made with the Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper SRT-10, but if we were going to spend the really big bucks on a Mustang, this would be the one.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
That One Person 6:13PM (9/27/2008)
Why Ford?
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john 6:20PM (9/27/2008)
'em rimz remind me of the NSX-R's
pmoon 6:48PM (9/27/2008)
You blame Ford for having one of the most successful platforms for performance companies to build special editions on? That's like blaming cattle farmers for the proliferation of hamburger joints!
The reason we see so many special edition mustangs isn't because Ford is pushing out a new special edition every week, it is because third party companies have been very successful at modifying and selling them!
Because an awful lot of folks really like the car.
That One Person 9:07PM (9/28/2008)
Dude, I was being facetious. I posted that comment cuz there always has to be one...
bow-legged snake 1:12AM (11/25/2008)
Ole' Henry Ford wouldn't have it any other way!
I wonder if Henry watches from heaven, the bad guys try to get away from his ''Crown Vic's''
lol
arturo 6:15PM (9/27/2008)
I care less if it has I don't know what suspension. i bet it sounds great, it looks even better.
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Torrent 6:19PM (9/27/2008)
This is probably the best mustang edition. It's outrageous.
Although I honestly prefer the look of the Saleen Sterling Edition.
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Shiftright 6:30PM (9/27/2008)
Wow, another High Performance Mustang variation..yay...but wait, $100k for a Mustang? You have to be kidding me...Hey I like Mustangs, but no matter how much power you shove under the hood, it's still a live axled budget performance car, emphasis on 'budget'. This makes no sense. Still, it does look cool and I bet it sounds evil...I would pass though...
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Christian 2:59PM (9/29/2008)
Are you talking about the live axle that wins sports car championships against non-"budget" competitors M3 and 997 (spec series).
Talk all you want about the live axle, cause that's all there is. Can't argue with performance numbers and championship trophies. Good try though.
Michael LaFramboise 6:35PM (9/27/2008)
...another day another Mustang...
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Torrent 1:03AM (9/28/2008)
You have to admit. There hasn't been a whole mess of current Generation Mustang news lately....... If you really think about it.
Vintage 6:37PM (9/27/2008)
OMG another mustang special edition! Holy crap! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Christian de Saint Preux 7:20PM (9/27/2008)
Makes you see what a bargain is the ZR1.
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Carlos 7:35PM (9/27/2008)
Why the lame side scoops?
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P B 7:35PM (9/27/2008)
Don't like Mustangs? Don't read the stories about them and hold your piece.
No one is forcing you read every story on Autoblog.
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BoxerFanatic 8:35PM (9/27/2008)
Can someone block this please? It is a waste of time of the people who read and honestly contribute comments to this site.
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Soccer Mom 8:42PM (9/27/2008)
Dude, it certainly sounds like it's not "them" who's building a super car, but it is "you". I doubt you'll get donations flowing by promoting this site here, on every message board.
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Donnie 8:55PM (9/27/2008)
*yawn*
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!
Can we say crappy NBC show tie-in? It reeks of the *shudder* new KITT.
I'll pass. Even if I were to spend $100K on a car, it wouldn't be this thing. Give me a '97-'01 GTS equipped with the Hennessey Venom TT package and a GTS-R body kit.
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BoxerFanatic 9:31PM (9/27/2008)
90-100k for a 302SC (and you don't get to keep/resell the original 4.6), a body kit, some suspension and brake work, and a few little touches?
That is, if they even use a V8 as the donor, and not a body-in-white, or a base V6 donor to rip apart and re-build.
Are you bloody kidding? you could put a body kit and some other tuning bits on a PORSCHE for that kind of money.
A tuned up Porsche Cayman PorscheDesign Edition 1 (black with flat black stripes, ring a bell?) would probably cost LESS than this. It will make up for in handling what it lacks in power... until you put a turbo kit, or a 3.8 X51 engine swap into it, which might actually fit into the same budget as this Saleen.
What is possibly in that Mustang that costs anywhere near that much? Is it ALL markup?
Is this why Steve Saleen, and several others have LEFT Saleen, inc. for SMC, or Techco, or whatever?
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Cardude 9:40PM (9/27/2008)
Another hot, sexy pony. I like it!
pmoon & PB, you guys called it right. I am new to this site and already I see that it is full of whiny people who hate any car that is not a tiny, featherweight, blandly (or "understatedly") styled European or Japanese model with 5 hp that handles like a slot car. These people are a real drag on the automotive hobby scene.
To such people I say, Mustangs are popular. Get over it.
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