19:48 26-07-2026

Ford Mustang FP800S: cheaper than a Dark Horse SC, yet the track exposed its weak spot

The $18,500 Ford Racing kit lifts the Mustang GT to 810 hp and keeps the factory warranty. But the first laps at Michigan International Speedway showed it lacks the cooling and brakes for sustained hot laps.

The FP800S package turns an ordinary Ford Mustang GT into an 810-horsepower car that still costs less than a factory-built Dark Horse SC. The first laps at Michigan International Speedway revealed an important caveat: this kind of power is meant for the street and short track sessions rather than continuous flat-out running.

The 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger lifts the 5.0-liter V8 from 480 to 810 hp and 834 Nm, with the active exhaust and on 91-octane premium fuel. Without that exhaust the figure settles at 800 hp. The test car, fitted with the ten-speed automatic and a Borla system, was already closing on 145 km/h on the second half of the straight, after which it demanded hard braking ahead of a left-hander.

The lowering kit and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires kept everything composed: the tester noted precise steering response and no unexpected snaps even in Track mode. But the FP800S lacks the reinforced powertrain cooling and the brakes needed for sustained fast laps.

For circuit work Ford offers the Dark Horse SC, which is where the extra cooling circuits and the more serious braking hardware appear. The FP800S kit itself costs $18,500 and includes the supercharger, upgraded half shafts, an air/oil separator, a lowering kit, wide 19-inch wheels and cosmetic upgrades. Tires and installation are billed separately. Have the work done by a Ford dealer or a certified technician and the three-year, 36,000-mile warranty — roughly 58,000 km — stays intact.

With a base Mustang GT underneath, the total stays below $70,000 before installation. By comparison, the Mustang Dark Horse SC with its 795-hp supercharged V8 starts at $103,490. The FP800S is more powerful on paper, but the savings come from doing without the expensive track brakes, the cooling and other specialized hardware.

32CARS.RU previously reported that the Ford Mustang Mach-E received a Sync update with new features for CarPlay.