Patent Filing Hints at New ‘Mustang Dark Horse’ Trim

By John Coyle - June 30, 2022

The most enigmatic thing about the Mustang Dark Horse is that Ford didn’t come up with the name on its own.

From the California Special, to the Stealth Package, to the Ice White Edition there’s no shortage of trim packages available to personalize your Mustang. But now, thanks to our friends over at 7th Mustang, we have a pretty good idea about what Ford will call the latest option. Because the site recently reported that Blue Oval filed to trademark “Mustang Dark Horse” over in the European Union, and while there’s been no similar filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it’s safe to assume the package will be available on our shores.

The news comes on the heels of a Twitter poll earlier this month, where Ford’s marketing team asked users to submit names for a “Mustang black accent package.” So even given how dead obvious it’d be without any word form Dearborn, it’s clear that we’re going to see some flavor of murdered-out Mustang on the menu sometime soon. What’s less obvious is why we haven’t seen this name used before. After all, the phrase “dark horse” originated nearly two centuries ago, in novel by two-time British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.

Now, if you’re like me? You might be wondering why Ford’s product planning team needed to resort to posting on that wretched hive of scum and villainy in the first place. After all, dark horse is a phrase which any marginally intelligent ninth-grader might have come up with in the scant moments between TikTok shoots. And for that? I don’t have any answers. But I will say that despite what Mad Men would have you believe? The creative class is as full of dim bulbs as a traveling carnival.

The really interesting question here is exactly how the package will look. Matte paint would be a way to make it stand out, but that’s still a relative rarity to see from a mainstream automaker. Also, the official word from Ford makes it clear that this is just a wheels and badging deal, and not a full-body makeover for the Mustang. So we’ll have to wait and see. That said, the best take on the dark theme I’ve seen recently is the electrified 1967 Fastback Mustang Charge Cars unveiled a few months back, which is so cool it hurts. But what do you think the Mustang Dark Horse should look like? Hit me up and let me know!

Photos: Ford, Charge Cars