On the track in a wild Mustang and an insane SuperTruck
At play with Ford Performance
Good morning. Apologies for taking a few weeks off there. I've been bouncing around the globe again, a brief stop on the West Coast for something you'll hopefully read about in the next weeks and something else that'll be a little while longer yet, but I think both will prove worth the wait.
I also made a run down to North Carolina, to the heart of NASCAR country, where Ford Performance kicked off its year of racing. The division hosts a big party every annum, and I was lucky enough to be invited this time, which included getting a few rides and drives in some very fun things.
One of those was the 1,600-horsepower SuperTruck, which I wrote about last year for The Verge and for Design News. It was quite a thrill to get a go in that (video is here), but it was far from the only wild electric racer on display.
NASCAR EV
Ford also debuted a wild, electric NASCAR prototype. It's built on the Next Gen chassis, just like the current generation of Cup cars, but this one's quite a bit different. It has twice the power, all-wheel drive, and a decidedly SUV silhouette.
What's the point? I spoke with Ford Performance's Mark Rushbrook, who said the company is going to use the car to gauge reactions among the sport's fans. I hate to say it, but I fear they won't be quite so quick to embrace this as hill climb fans have come to love bewinged EVs. That’s a shame, because I’d love to see (and hear) a stampede of these raging around a bullring.
Taming the Dark Horse R
Ford has made all manner of race-ready Mustangs over the years, and that they've added yet another to the stable is not exactly surprising. But this latest generation just yet again proves how much fun you can make a car not by adding stuff on but by taking it away.
With a gutted interior and a straight-pipe exhaust, the Dark Horse R is a wild machine, and I very much enjoyed my time in the saddle. You can read about it over at Ars, and don't worry, you'll find fewer horse references over there — but not zero.
Another note that I’m trying to keep the YouTube channel rolling when I have time. You can find that over here. I’m also talking cars (and occasionally turkeys) over at TikTok if that’s more your style.
That's all from me for now. I'm on the home front for a few weeks, but I am chasing down a few interesting drives in the northeast while I'm here, and with any luck, you might just find me on a frozen lake ice racing before this season is through. More on that to come. (I hope.)
Until then, have an excellent week, and stay warm.