The 2020 Chevy Corvette made its debut during the summer of 2019 and completely changed the automotive landscape. Suddenly, everybody wanted a mid-engined C8, which gave new meaning to the term “American sports car.” But as demand grew, it also had an interesting side effect, as people began to wonder why other Detroit products aren’t switched over to the mid-engined layout.
This created a boom in creative renderings which dominated 2020, sparking debates about the validity of digital car content. The mid-engined Mustang was my biggest rendering story of that year, and I remember it generated excitement and outrage in almost equal parts.
Both the GT350 and the Shelby GT500 had been used for this Corvette-like makeover. But we’re now in 2023, and simple Photoshop just isn’t going to cut it. The all-new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse is out, reasonably priced for what it offers, and it’s become the base of yet another C8 digital rival, this time created by Rostislav Prokop.
With support from HotCars magazine, the Czech artist set about transforming this new 2024 Mustang model into yet another mid-engined sports car.
How to make a Mustang into a C8 Corvette rival
At least in theory, the Mustang and Corvette attract similar customers. The new S650 Dark Horse model is almost $60,000, while the base C8 for 2023 is about $66,000. They both drive like sports cars. Both are designed with occasional track use in mind and are powered by some of the last naturally aspirated V8s you can buy. Cool stuff!
But Ford could theoretically charge more money if it turned the Mustang into a mid-engined car. The C8 was GM’s first production Corvette with this exotic layout, and things worked out fine.
To make this 3D Mustang “supercar” believable, Rostislav knew he had to keep as many of the original features as possible. So the mid-engined S650 model has a Mustang-like grille and headlights, while the taillights have those three vertical LED bars, which can be traced all the way back to the 1964 1/2 original model.
However, the general proportions have changed, with the cabin now sitting further forwards and the V8 now located behind the driver, fed by large intakes on the side of the car. Nothing says “exotic” quite like having a glass cover over your engine, and the Coyote is up to the job, with the Dark Horse boasting 500 hp and 418 lb-ft, the highest of any non-Shelby Mustang ever.
Did Ford ever make a mid-engined car? No, but there is still a historical precedent. The Ford Probe came out in 1988 as a Mazda-based coupe designed to compete with fun Japanese cars like the Acura Integra and Nissan 200SX. However, it was originally supposed to be the 4th-gen Mustang. Between 1979 and 1984, Ford made five internal concepts called “Probe” and the last of them was mid-engined.
