Ford Mustang Cobra return confirmed, V8 engine teased

Ford’s quest to keep the V8 alive has taken another step, after the carmaker released a brief teaser video, all but confirming a new Mustang Cobra is on the way.

In a post on social media, Ford Racing shared a video of the Cobra wordmark being highlighted, against the sound of a V8 engine in the background.

“For the drivers, with an all-motor heart born from racing,” Ford Racing said in its post.

“Ford Mustang Cobra, a Legacy Reborn. The story continues in 2027.”

While the engine sound is distinctively V8, the gaps between the shifts indicate the new Ford Mustang Cobra will be a manual, giving weight to recent reports.

Earlier this week, specialist publication Ford Authority reported a successor to the previous-generation Shelby GT350 was in the works, with the new model at the time suggested to use the ‘Mustang Dark Horse Boss’ name.

Now confirmed to be called the Cobra, it revives the name for the first time since it was last used on the 2004 Mustang SVT Cobra, three generations of the pony car ago.

As reported by Ford Authority, insiders have said the Mustang will sit between the Dark Horse and Dark Horse SC, retaining a manual transmission like the lower-end model, while offering a larger engine without a supercharger – something which Ford seems to have hinted at, saying the Cobra will be “all-motor”.

Presently, the Dark Horse is powered by a 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 engine, which in US trim produces 370kW and 567Nm, sent to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Dark Horse SC meanwhile features a largely carryover powertrain from the previous GT500, with a 5.2-litre supercharged V8 punching out a healthy 593kW and 895Nm, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle.

While the Dark Horse is about the same size as the Mustang GT, the Dark Horse SC features a wider bodykit with more significant aerodynamic upgrades.

The report claims the GT350 successor will likely offer similar looks to the Dark Horse SC, though it’ll remain naturally aspirated, either with a 5.2-litre or 5.4-litre V8.

Ford’s last 5.2-litre production V8 engine was the ‘Voodoo’ in the previous GT350, which was unique in that it offered a flat-plane crank engine, rather than the more traditional cross-plane crank.

Capable of producing 392kW and 582Nm, the specifications of the Voodoo V8 when it went out of production in 2020 would be good enough to slot between the current Mustang Dark Horses.

Additional upgrades are said to include larger brakes, greater cooling capacity and stiffer suspension, providing an extra level above the Dark Horse’s existing capabilities.