A V8 engine rated at 500 horsepower carries an appealing tone. Builders often target this output level, especially with accessible modern fuel-injected designs such as Ford's Coyote and GM's LS engines for street use. When the first 5.0-liter Coyote V8 took the place of the 4.6-liter 3V V8 in the Mustang GT, power rose from 315 to 412 horsepower. Across later generations, as the S197 gave way to the S550 and then the S650, the Coyote advanced further and reached 486 horsepower in the S650 GT when fitted with a performance exhaust.

The Mustang Dark Horse built on the Coyote V8 by incorporating forged connecting rods and a carefully balanced crankshaft. This produced a naturally aspirated output of 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque. The Dark Horse is far from the only Ford V8 to hit that mark. One of the most unusual examples appears in historical records, where the same power rating applied to an engine installed in the well-known M4 Sherman medium tank.

500 HP in a Mustang Dark Horse Serves a Different Purpose Than 500 HP in a Sherman Tank

Anyone who has viewed a recent WWII film or documentary has likely seen the M4 Sherman medium tank. More than twenty years before the original Ford Mustang appeared at the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, the world was engaged in global conflict. Axis forces from Germany, Japan, and Italy fought the Allies throughout Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. One of the most recognizable Allied vehicles in that struggle was the M4 Sherman tank.

The Sherman's effectiveness did not come from superior armor or armament. It earned the nickname Ronsons, after a lighter brand known for lighting every time, because of its vulnerability to fire when struck. Its real advantages lay in straightforward repair procedures and sheer production numbers.

The United States built more than 50,000 M4 tanks between 1942 and 1945. Although this total did not surpass the over 80,000 T-34s produced by the Soviet Union, it demonstrated the strength of American industry, including Ford Motor Company. As a result, the Sherman, especially the Ford-built M4A3, left the factory with a V8 engine. That engine was the Ford GAA, an 18-liter unit of roughly 1,100 cubic inches and Ford's largest gasoline V8. It delivered 500 horsepower at 2,600 RPM, well below the Mustang Dark Horse's 7,500-RPM redline. The GAA was not the only powerplant used; the Chrysler A57 combined five inline-six engines to drive some Sherman variants.

Supplying Enough Power to Move the Vehicle

500 horsepower propels the 10-speed automatic Mustang Dark Horse from rest to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The same figure produces far different results in the M4A3 Sherman, which could weigh more than 68,000 pounds compared with the Dark Horse's curb weight of 3,879 pounds. Top speed for the Sherman reached only about 26 mph on level ground.

A governor held engine speed to 2,600 RPM to preserve low-rev torque. Crew members sometimes removed the governor, yet outright speed was never the goal. A contest between a Mustang Dark Horse and an M4 Sherman would offer little competition and would illustrate how differently 500 horsepower is applied in a modern sports car versus a World War II medium tank.