2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse CS800 | UK Review

Good news for those devoted individuals after an 800 hp Mustang, because there has never been a better time to get one. Ford has exactly the thing (very exciting – the GTD noises, too), Shelby has built one with a very suggestive name, and now Clive Sutton has his own view of what a forced induction Ford with almost eight hundred horsepower (they say 788 hp, so 799hp metriek) should be: the Mustang CS800DH. That is also DH for Dark Horse, also known as the best rice blade of the generation that is currently being sold in the UK. A car that could combine the power of a thousand suns with a real reward from the driver would really be something special.

In a world of 900 hp Family EVs we are somewhat connected to wealth outputs, but it is really worthwhile to spend a minute, considering how powerful this Mustang is. Here is a dark horse with peak power beyond one of the newest hybrid supersaloons, all with four -wheel drive and a vending machine; The new 911 Turbo S is not even close; And even the McLaren 750S, on pure power terms, have to give up a few horsepower. 799 is an incredible song for a pure combustion car, in particular a manual that is manual, rear -wheel drive, and with the steering wheel on the right side. There are not many manual cars of 400 hp more, let alone with twice as power.

And be no doubt about it: this Mustang feels absolutely 800 hp and 642LB FT strong. Whether that pulls away in third gear without hassle or acceleration in the fifth as a normal dark horse in second place, the excess of push is never doubtful. The joy of supercharging also means that this CS still feels like a dark horse (or two dark horses, real), without a huge dump of twin-turbo couple or any impact on the gas response. Although it is clearly a lot stronger with low motorcycle rates than the regular 5.0, it certainly wants REVS to feel at its best, mercilessly steps on speed and sound from 4,500 rpm or so with the zeal of a much smaller unity. In a normal dark horse, the six gears can feel quite a long time, even the run to the top of the second gear that never seems as urgent as you would hope (because it goes to almost 80). Here are no trouble here; The Mustang gallop through gears such as all-inclusive holiday makers, the fourth goes almost as fast as the first.

The Tremec six -speed gearbox, such as in the standard dark horse, is to the point that it sometimes feels almost a bit uncomfortable and fits perfectly with this installation. The Worp is short, good and deliberate, as if you are working a great piece of industrial machines instead of something as tame as a homologated road car. A good shutdown to a CS800DH ensures that you feel the glorious revival racer every centimeter. Or disappeared in Bandit of 60 seconds, depending on your mood.

You will probably bump the sound, because the Coyote V8, with a 3.0-liter Whipple Supercharger and from Borla outlets from the outings of Borla, produces one of the large car backgrounds. Spectators get more Supercharger crowds than the driver, but you are compensated for what your ears will say is a whole schedule of Australian supercars around. The 5.0-liter is formidable loud, shamelessly rude and completely fascinating while he caught; You get the entire V8 Medley, from Lage Rev burble to Peak Power Thunder, all played in impeccable quality. The engine is so raw and so authentic and does its Wubba-Wubba idle and occasionally an overrun kaboom that it is impossible not to be fully won. Even with the 11MPG.

It is impressive that the CS not only uses that power to make Catherine wheels of the rear Michelins. On a greasy day, the wheelspin will be at the top of third gear, and when the rain comes, it would like to break traction in the fifth – but then an Ariel Atom does that too. Given the layout and the conditions, the Mustang does really good job to use such an abundant power reserves. A long gas trip helps, so that the driver can be really accurate, just like the linear delivery; Ford’s integration of the limited slip diff and assists always felt smart in the standard car, and they are not fully overwhelmed here. Get the right, don’t be greedy, and you will be surprised by how much of 799 hp you can use. Then again, just to be sure. And again, because it was fun. You get the idea.

However, that does not mean that the CS is not true at all. This is a lower, stiffer Mustang than a normal dark horse that has brought the problems that lower and tends stiffening. The tires for 275 sections are enthusiastic about getting in the way of camber changes, which can be intimidating, considering how quickly you tend to go. The front scraped a few times on a B -road (albeit a very bumpy), the Mustang that comes through very quickly and felt a interrupted touch. The extra weight of the Supercharger installation at the front must have an impact; Your belief in the rear axle is almost unwavering, but you can’t be so sure about the other end. A situation that is not helped by Mustang control, which has never been a strong suit.

That said, between the wide grip, the monster brakes, the impressive traction and the other 799 things, extremely rapid progress can be made in a supercharged dark horse. It just doesn’t feel like a very well sharpened and richly rewarding process it once did. Which, with 76 percent more power than normal, may be expected. Imagine that your barbecue was 76 percent more powerful; Even with a few adjustments, your cooking is approached a little more. Although it also means a way of a show …

Indeed, if you are one of those people who think that the Mustang went too far in the direction of the sports car with its Nurburgring round times and track packages, this supercharged dark horse is the perfect riposte. It is a Mustang where a really brilliant engine completely dominates every exchange, but just about the overwhelming of the car and spoiling the experience. It offers extremely exciting, endless exciting power, not only strength because of it. Of course someone will soon crash an 800 hp mustang on the camera, but based on this experience it is difficult to see how.

And while we talk about cameras, have you seen this thing? The beast under the hood is perhaps the USP of the Mustang, but the way it looks like, must also be part of the profession. Those sunny press photos did not really do the CS800 justice, and the sutton-specific upgrades, breed under a dark September sky, offer exactly the right amount of malice for a mega mustang. The Booglouvres such as an LMGT3 car are perfect, the posture on those foxes wheels and the aero add-ons sinister without being crazy. People look, but they don’t want to get too close. And let’s be honest: a dark horse is barely not apologetic by default, so it just seems reasonable that an 800 hp calls a bit about the fact. If you generally like Mustangs, you will love this.

All in all, the Sutton package is quite convincing. The charm of a Mustang has not been abandoned: it is almost as happy to sail around as it flourishes every law in the country. But every shot of the accelerator pedal, every pull through an acceleration that does not last long, every eruption of the outlet and every frightened pedestrian will remind you that the CS800DH is far removed from standard. Perhaps this dark horse is no longer such a sharp handlebar, but if a ride and handling are really top priorities, a Mustang would not have been on the cards. What the fog is in outright dynamic polish, it makes more than good in pure scandalability, which feels very much where an 800 hp mustang should be. Just resist the temptation, to interior too much with the interior – there is enough disability in the rest of the car …

Engine: 5,038cc V8, Supercharged
Transfer: Manual 6-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Power (HP): 799@6.700 TPM
Couple (LB FT): 642@4.750RPM
0-62 MPH: C. 3.5SECS
Top speed: C. 190 MPH
Weight: 1,836 kg (Ford Kerbweight, Standard Dark Horse)
MPG: 22.8 (standard car)
CO2: 282 g/km (standard car)
Price: £ 165,000 (this car; price varies by spec)