First 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse sells for $350,000

Sunday night, Ford auctioned the first 2024 Mustang Dark Horse (or more precisely, the car with VIN 001) for charity at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. And the winning bid was $350,000. All of those proceeds are headed to JDRF to fund type 1 diabetes research.

While the Dark Horse has a much higher retail price than more common, less intense Mustang trims, that’s not the case when it comes to the first example. Last year, and for the same charity, the first of this Mustang generation sold for $565,000. We suppose there’s more value to collectors in having the first of an entire line, than just the first of a special model. And $350,000 is still a big premium over the regular cost of a Dark Horse, which has a base price of just over $61,000.

This first example comes well-equipped. It gets a manual transmission (not the optional 10-speed automatic), painted stripes, Recaro seats and the Handling Package. These were all predetermined by Ford. If you’re going to build the first of a sports model, you might as well give it the sportiest features.

Our experience has certainly confirmed that the Dark Horse is the most serious performer of the Mustang line. We also highly approve of the manual, seats and Handling Package upgrades that Ford’s including on this example. It’s not quite as radical a transformation as, say, the GT350 and GT500 were, but an excellent machine nonetheless.