In 2022, cognitive scientist Zachary Irving explored a phenomenon known as the shower effect—which helps explain why basic activities like showering are effective in sparking creativity or solving problems— in the journal Psychology, Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Chances are, you’ve experienced this “shower effect” for yourself at some point. You step into the tub and wham, that idea you’ve been hunting for hits you like a ton of bricks.
Chances are, dear reader of automotive content, you might also experience this marvel in your car. For me, it’s one of my favorite side effects of hopping behind the wheel. I love pounding the pavement, whether it’s an interstate haul or a cross-country trek—solutions and ideas reveal themselves quicker than oncoming road signs. So, when Ford presented us with the opportunity to drive a Mustang Dark Horse from Nice to Le Mans ahead of the famous 24-hour endurance race, I jumped at it.
Well, actually, that is revisionist history. I did not jump at the opportunity. At first, I was hesitant. Work was crazy busy and I was in the process of closing on a house. I hemmed and hawed for a good half day before executive editor Joe DeMatio said, “You’d be an idiot not to go.” Larry Webster affectionately calls Dematio’s ability to call it like it is “Joe’s Sweet Truth.”
Joe was right, and other colleagues and friends took a similar stance. No amount of professional or personal obligations should hold me back from the drive of a lifetime through the French countryside. Besides, it’d be a great way to solve my problems, the world’s issues, and think of new ideas, all from behind the wheel of a Mustang Dark Horse.
I should note that my initial hesitation also stemmed from who my driving partner might be. Spend 15 hours and over 700 miles in a car with a stranger? The prospect of awkward silence interrupted only occasionally with bland remarks about the weather pegged my social anxiety meter. “Oh, grow up,” I said to myself.
I met Mike Spinelli in the customs line, after noticing a Hilborn Injection sticker on his suitcase. Spinelli is currently head of content at the Motorsport Network, but real ones know him as the dude who started Jalopnik.
Back in the day, Spinelli ran a blog in his free time called Lasagna Farm, which occasionally had entries picked up by superblog Gawker. Founder Nick Denton enlisted Spinelli to drum up a new automotive publication for Gawker Media. “The name had to feel like a personal signifier,” says Spinelli, “but was ambiguous enough to reflect whatever we thought was cool at the moment.” The site was registered in 2005.
Spinelli and I were the first of our group to arrive in France. We gabbed over espresso and told one another our life stories to kill time. When it came time to pair up for our drive, I found Spinelli.
Eventually, the other guests arrived, and we lit out for Le Mans the next day in a 2025 Mustang Dark Horse, coated in Carbonized Gray Metallic.
I’ll spare you the travel blog, and you’re welcome to email me if you want to see photos of my delicious meals. Editor-at-large Aaron Robinson says to only write about the interesting bits, so I’ll pare things down a bit and just talk about the highlights, starting with the roads.
The route for our adventure was a curated selection of twisting pavement paired with several expressways to deliver us to Le Mans in time ahead of the race. Leaving from Nice, we traveled northwest. One of the best roads was just about an hour north of town: Route Napoléon.
We drove a section of the famed 200-mile French ribbon of pavement, which meanders through the foothills of the Alps, offering incredible views and enough curves to make you wish you had less for breakfast. If you are afraid of heights, it’s best to keep your eyes on the road.
History time: In 1815, former Emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte was in exile on the island of Elba in the middle of the Mediterranean. After escaping by boat, he and 700 loyalists marched over tough terrain to avoid arrest on their way from Golfe-Juan on the Côte d’Azur to Paris.
He reached the capital in two and a half weeks, having amassed a large enough army during that time to regain control of the country. Save for maybe the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl LI win, Napoleon’s might be the most epic comeback of all time.
For our purposes, though, the most relevant byproduct of Napoleon’s trek back to power is a route that has evolved into one of the most fun and scenic drives anywhere. If you ever find yourself in southern France with a car, even if it’s a rental, seek it out.
Unlike Napoleon’s, our steed came with a V-8. Excluding the highly anticipated Mustang GTD, the Dark Horse is the top spec for the model’s seventh generation. (Fun fact: It’s also the first new name for a Mustang performance trim since 2001’s Bullitt.) Like all Dark Horses, our coupe had the 5.0-liter V-8 Coyote engine between the front fenders. In Euro-form, the mill doesn’t quite clear the 500-horsepower mark that stateside Dark Horses set, but the engine has enough grunt to have a ball, especially through mountain passes.
Our pony also had the six-speed manual (a 10-speed auto is also available). Big love for this gearjammer. Typically, my heel-toe has more sour notes and misplaced pedals than a Mötley Crüe reunion tour. Not here. The Tremec TR-3160 is a great gearbox with lovely, crisp, short throws, and the auto-blip software works well to camouflage the subpar selector in the driver’s seat.
I hopped behind the wheel and finished off the mountain pass that Spinelli started. MagneRide dampers come standard on the Horse, as well as the larger brakes, wheels, and Pirelli P Zero tires that come with the GT’s Performance Pack. This Mustang ate switchbacks for breakfast, and not once did it feel like too much car for a rather narrow road.
The Mustang is huge compared to the European hatchbacks and compacts that pepper European highways. Rock crags felt like they might poke through the passenger door on portions of the Napoléon.
During our second day, we blasted through central France, stringing together picturesque parks and small towns like beads on a necklace. On more than one occasion, we had to slow or stop to allow the other lane to pass. This is more of an observation of the old narrow roads in Europe rather than the sheer size of the Mustang—plenty of European sedans are as limited on these roads as the Mustang.
America’s original pony car is a relative newcomer to Europe, as the Blue Oval started selling the Mustang overseas in 2015. The Dark Horse might still draw gazes in Midwest America—the seventh-gen design still looks fresh and the horse head on the fender is a new emblem—but those pale to the number of staring eyes it prompted in France.
At a rest stop in Orléat, motorists walked over to take pics of our Mustang caravan. At another stop, a van of French soldiers parked beside us and asked if we’d like to trade vehicles.
On the final day of driving, we took a more direct route from Montluçon to Le Mans. A couple of hours on the highway gave way to the “shower effect,” my mind filling with clarity that revolved around one persistent thought: I almost didn’t go on this trip. I almost let the day-to-day grind and the anxiety of the unknown get in the way of an incredible opportunity. Luckily, I had a group around me to set me straight, and my reward was the peace that comes from being behind the wheel.
Get out and drive.