As much as we hate to admit it, all of us gearheads aren’t much beyond children. We want the biggest power numbers, even if they’re impossible to use on the road, just for the knowledge that you’re the fastest one away from the lights. The Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC represents this situation perfectly because an 800-horsepower convertible makes no real sense outside of being extremely cool.
In fact, its status as a ludicrously powerful convertible puts the Dark Horse SC among company that’s pretty exclusive, meaning this Mustang may be your best bet at experiencing these sorts of speeds without having millions of dollars in your pocket. There are only eight drop-tops with more power than the Dark Horse SC built right now — here are all of them.
8
Shelby GT350 Convertible
810 horsepower
Shelby is a name to trust when it comes to big-power Mustangs, and the latest GT350 convertible’s supercharger kit for the standard 5.0-liter V8 makes the powerplant achieve 810 hp. That’s just 5 hp less than the track-focused GTD model, and you’d certainly be able to hear the engine roar thanks to the custom Borla exhaust that’s made just for this car. The tires are also specific to this vehicle.
Shelby will make fewer than 1,000 GT350s, and the company will split them between hardtops and convertibles based on customer demand. The droptop will set you back around $128,000. Since prices haven’t been announced for the Mustang SC convertible, the Shelby might be the more interesting choice of the two. The Whipple supercharger isn’t the only modification because this car also gets Shelby’s own lowering springs and thicker sway bars for cornering prowess.
7
Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider
819 horsepower
It feels wrong to be comparing a V12-powered Ferrari grand tourer to a Mustang, but that’s the world we live in now. The 12Cilindri uses the famous 6.5-liter V12 to make 819 hp. With the roof down, you can fall in love with that exotic soundtrack. With a screaming redline of 9,500 rpm, the engine delivers a maximum of 500 lb-ft of torque at 7,250 rpm, so you can enjoy wringing it out on a winding road. Like the Mustang, there’s no electrification here to numb the fun.
The 12Cilindri also uses a complex folding roof mechanism that helps encase the passengers between the nacelles and windscreen. If power is what you’re after, you might just be better off with the Mustang, as the Ferrari starts in the low $400,000 range with option prices that might even eclipse a whole base Ford.
6
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
824 horsepower
The latest Ford Mustang is a good-looking car, but it’s not quite as attractive as the latest Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. The grand tourer is powered by a twin-turbocharged V12 engine pushing out 824 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, beating the Mustang’s 660 lb-ft. Both of these droptops might be fun to drive, but for a cross-continent trip, we’re taking the Aston.
That’s because it has a comfortable and spacious interior that houses a Bowers & Wilkins stereo, ventilated seats, and an amount of customization that only Bentley and Rolls-Royce can rival. The Mustang might sound more interesting, though. In our review, we found the V12 in this droptop slightly muted. We can’t wait to try out the Dark Horse SC and see how much our neighbors hate us.
5
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
1,064 horsepower
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 may have been overshadowed by the hybrid ZR1X, but the Bugatti Veyron-beating 1,064 hp is definitely enough for most people. Without the carbon-fiber aero package, which feels somewhat like overkill, the base car looks a lot more subtle than you’d expect. With both a frunk and a trunk, buyers get a lot of practicality matched with a lot of performance.
Purists might even prefer the ZR1 to the ZR1X because this mid-engined supercar comes only in rear-wheel-drive, which can make it a handful on the limit but also a bit more fun. Even with two fewer driven wheels, it can still get to 60 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds. This model can also complete the quarter mile in a staggering 9.5 seconds.
4
Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider
1,036 horsepower
The Ferrari 849 picks up where the SF90 left off. This mid-engined supercar occupies nearly the top of the food chain for production hybrid Ferrari models, excluding the out-of-reach F80. It offers 1,036 hp from a twin-turbocharged V8 and three electric motors, which can reach 60 mph in 2.3 seconds. The Spider tops out at over 200 mph.
The 849 is, of course, blindingly fast, with most of the power going to the rear wheels, but the front-wheel electric motors keep you in order. Unfortunately, the V8 doesn’t sound as good as Ferrari models of old, mainly due to turbo swooshes augmenting the noise. Though, you wouldn’t mind when you’re being shot towards the next corner this quickly. When you want to be stealthy, the 849 can also travel up to around eight miles on electricity alone.
3
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X
1,250 horsepower
The Chevy Corvette ZR1X is one of the most impressive Corvettes ever. The hybridized mid-engined supercar makes a huge 1,250 horsepower thanks to a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 and an electric motor in the nose. With 973 lb-ft of torque, it can punch you in the back under full load, and on a prepped surface, the ZR1X can hit 60 mph in under 2.0 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 8.675 seconds.
This type of power used to be reserved for the most exclusive hypercars, but now you can simply walk into a Chevy showroom for it. The ZR1X still starts at $230k, but for these numbers, it feels like a bit of a bargain. You can still also daily drive this thing thanks to amenities like a heated steering wheel, wireless phone chargers, and a premium stereo.
2
Koenigsegg CC850
1,385 horsepower
Christian Von Koenigsegg certainly knows the meaning of “go big or go home,” with most of his projects over the years outperforming anything else on the road. The CC850 is one of those cars, and with 1,385 horsepower, it achieves a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1. It weighs 1,385 kilograms (3,053 lbs). Plus, its 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine can be enjoyed with the removable roof panel open.
Unfortunately, Koenigsegg hasn’t released any official pictures of the car with its roof off, but we’re sure it’s one of the best ways to enjoy cruise in this engineering marvel, especially in the silver and orange combo like the one in the embedded gallery below.
Possibly the most interesting piece of the CC850 is the Engage Shift System gearbox. This transmission gives the driver the choice of a six-speed gated manual or a nine-speed automatic, and thanks to the lack of a flywheel, it revs extremely quickly. The Ford Mustang and CC850 may both share the same engine layout, but the Koenigsegg’s V8 is turned up to the max.
1
Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster
2,031 horsepower
One of the most outrageous cars of our time has to be the Hennessey Venom F5 roadster. Its Fury V8 puts out over 2,000 hp in its most potent form, and the F5-M’s manual transmission makes it the most powerful stick-shift car in history. All that power goes to the rear wheels, and the H badge on the front is24-karat gold on the first customer model.
Both the Hennessey and Ford Mustang show that a roadster doesn’t have to be a filtered beast, and that removing the roof may be the best way to get all the sights and sounds of your favorite performance cars. Of course, you don’t have to drive it with 2,000 hp all the time, and some modes restrict power to only 1,500 hp. We’re not sure if that’s quick enough, though.
Base Trim Engine
7.4L Twincharged V8 Gas
Base Trim Transmission
7-Speed Single-clutch semi-automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
1,600 hp
Base Trim Torque
1763 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Fuel Economy
TBC
Infotainment & Features
6 /10
Sources: Hennessey, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Koenigsegg, Shelby
