First Ride: 2009 Saleen Dark Horse Mustang

Click above for a high resolution image of the Saleen Dark Horse

"A dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed on the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph." Beautiful words from the quotable Benjamin Disraeli, and inspiration for the name of the latest Mustang to come from Saleen's stable. Due to the car's name it may sound like our title is a clever play on words, but the truth is our seat time was limited to the passenger seat. We can't blame Saleen for being careful with the car - the 2009 Dark Horse Mustang you see here is the first one off the assembly line and is the only one built so far. To their credit, Saleen did take us out to Willow Springs Raceway outside of Los Angeles for some flying laps, so we were able to experience the full capabilities of the car's performance. Follow the jump to hear about our day at the track with perhaps the most fearsome production Mustang ever built.

All photos Copyright (C)2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.