The RTR Ford Mustang Formula for Fun
Over the past decade or so, the RTR brand has become synonymous with both the Ford Mustang as well as the motorsport of drifting. The partnership between Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ford allows you to order an official Ford Mustang RTR, which comes with a dash plaque signed by Vaughn Gittin Jr. himself. One of the mantras of racing has always been “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday,” and the RTR brand fully embodies that through not only the Spec RTR program but also the full catalog of components to help modify and upgrade many of your Ford vehicles including the Mustang, Bronco, F150, Ranger, Maverick, and Mustang Mach-E.
The Ford Mustang is fully capable of drifting straight off of the showroom floor, so the basics can be learned without diving too deep into the world of modifications. If you’re interested in progressing your motorsports driving, either through drifting or grip driving, then some upgrades from RTR can help your car look and perform similar to the RTR Mustangs you might see at your local competition or demo event! As a note, the “spec” cars listed are intended to be ordered as an entire car and officially serialized as an official Ford Mustang RTR vehicle. However, many of the parts listed are also available to be purchased a-la-carte from RTR Vehicles directly, or from the parts department at your local Ford dealership. Which means if you already own a Mustang, the same RTR components can be added to the car that's in your garage right now.
STREET
For the casual enthusiast who’s starting to get into drifting, auto-crossing, or just some spirited backroad driving, RTR has a few levels of upgrades available for purchase that can help enhance the experience. The Spec 1 package is largely an aesthetic package, composed of RTR upper and lower grill with integrated LED lights, as well as spoiler, graphics, and wheel & tire packages to complement the look. Wheels are available in a few different styles, in both 19” and 20” diameter, and are available with Nitto NT555 G2 tires. Additionally, the stance of the car is lowered via a set of RTR Tactical lowering springs, which will help with weight transfer as you test the lateral limits of your Mustang. The Spec 2 package adds a front chin spoiler, some additional side rocker and rear quarter splitters and RTR heat extractor hood vents to add to the overall look, while adding adjustable shocks and struts as well as a 3-way adjustable swaybar that will help with dialing in grip as you start to get into more spirited driving scenarios.
The biggest jump in performance comes with the Spec 3 package, which includes nearly 300hp through either a Ford Performance or Whipple supercharger. This is where the Mustang truly becomes a tire and time shredding machine! The Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 was tested by Jeremy Clarkson (of Grand Tour and Top Gear Fame), and confirmed that the car “ticks all the boxes that you could want for a muscle car.” This level of power and performance is really best reserved for those who are looking to start to take their track efforts seriously, whether that track is a drag strip, road course, or even a drifting track. Beyond this package, if you want to get into competitive driving, some additional safety measures may be required such as a roll cage and 4-point harnesses depending on the type of driving you plan to do.
Specs:
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 1
- RTR Upper Grill with integrated LED accent lights
- RTR Lower Grill
- RTR heat extractor hood vents
- RTR Rear Spoiler
- RTR Decklid Panel
- RTR Graphics package
- Wheel options in 19” or 20”
- 275/40/R19 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 19” wheels
- 275/35/R20 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 20” wheels
- RTR Tactical Performance lowering springs
- Interior upgrades (RTR Floormats, RTR shift knob, and RTR dash plaque)
- 315hp / 350 lb-ft torque (Ecoboost)
- 460hp / 410 lb-ft torque (GT)
- $7,995 starting MSRP
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 2
- RTR Upper Grill with integrated LED accent lights
- RTR Lower Grill
- RTR heat extractor hood vents
- RTR Rear Spoiler
- RTR Decklid Panel
- RTR Graphics package
- Wheel options in 19” or 20”
- 275/40/R19 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 19” wheels
- 275/35/R20 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 20” wheels
- RTR Tactical Performance suspension
- RTR Tactical lowering springs
- Adjustable shocks & struts
- 3-way adjustable swaybar
- Interior upgrades (RTR Floormats, RTR shift knob, and RTR dash plaque)
- 460hp / 410 lb-ft torque (GT)
- $11,995 starting MSRP
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3
- Ford Performance or Whipple Supercharger
- RTR Upper Grill with integrated LED accent lights
- RTR Lower Grill
- RTR Heat Extractor hood vents
- RTR Rear Spoiler
- RTR Front Chin Spoiler
- RTR Rear Diffuser
- RTR Side Rocker and Rear Quarter Splitters
- RTR Decklid Panel
- RTR Fender Badges
- RTR Graphics
- Wheel options in 19” or 20”
- 275/40/R19 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 19” wheels
- 275/35/R20 Nitto NT555G2 tires for 20” wheels
- RTR Tactical Performance suspension
- RTR Tactical lowering springs
- Adjustable shocks & struts
- 3-way adjustable swaybar
- Interior upgrades (RTR Floormats, RTR shift knob, and RTR dash plaque)
- 750hp / 610 lb-ft torque (GT)
- $22,995 starting MSRP
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D (RTR Demo vehicles)
If you’ve seen the RTR Drift Team at SEMA, St. Louis Auto Show, Auto Enthusiast Day, Grid Life, or Carlisle Ford Nationals, those Ford Mustang RTR vehicles look very similar to the full competition cars that are used in Formula Drift, but are built to a slightly different spec. Many of the demo vehicles are retired chassis from the Formula D program, while others are former dealership demo cars. These cars often feature the radiator in the stock position (which isn’t common for a full competition car), and feature upgraded steering angle kits, fuel cells, and often a roll cage for safety. Former race cars will get a Ford Aluminator 5.2L engine swapped into the engine bay, which gets paired with a Vortech supercharger to bump the output to 800+ hp and 670 lb-ft of torque. Some of the more “street” styled demo cars will simply get a Ford Performance or Whipple supercharger, similar to the Spec 3, as well as some steering mods and small safety upgrades. The RTR team has a slew of cars at their disposal for demos, so each car varies slightly in spec, but all are a bit toned down and simplified compared to the full race spec that is used in Formula Drift.
For those who are desiring the most streetable version of the cars you see at these demos, the RTR Spec 5 is a daily driveable Mustang that is modeled off of the championship-winning vehicles of the RTR team with all the bells and whistles! Building on the supercharged base package of the Spec 3, the Spec 5 adds Brembo Brakes to each corner, 30-way adjustable RTR Coilovers, and the full RTR widebody that adds 50mm to the front and 75MM to the rear to make room for meatier tires. Those wider fenders are filed out with forged 20x9.5” and 20x11” RTR wheels, wrapped in 285/30/R20 and 305/30/R20 Nitto NT555 G2 tires. Outside of a roll cage or other safety requirements, this car would be ready to compete in nearly any grassroots racing organization as it sits, and would still be comfortable enough to drive to and from the track!
Specs:
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5
- Ford Performance or Whipple Supercharger
- RTR Upper Grill with integrated LED accent lights
- RTR Lower Grill
- RTR Heat Extractor hood vents
- RTR Fender Flares
- RTR Rear Spoiler Gurney Flap
- RTR Front Chin Spoiler
- RTR Rear Diffuser
- RTR Side Rocker and Rear Quarter Splitters
- RTR Decklid Panel
- RTR Fender Badges
- RTR Graphics including windshield banner
- Brembo Brakes
- Forged RTR 20” wheels
- 20x9.5” wheels wrapped in 285/30/R20 Nitto NT555 G2 tires up front
- 20x10.5” wheels wrapped in 305/30/R20 Nitto NT555 G2 tires in the rear
- RTR Tactical Performance suspension including 30-way adjustable coilovers
- Interior upgrades (RTR Leather Package, RTR Floormats, RTR shift knob, and RTR dash plaque)
- 750hp / 610 lb-ft torque (GT)
- $37,495 starting MSRP
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D
- 2L Aluminator engine paired with a Vortech supercharger
- Custom Roll Cage
- Custom RTR Steering Angle kits
- RTR Hydraulic Hand Brake
- Aftermarket Fuel Cell
- Aftermarket Radiator (in the stock location)
- Fully gutted interior
- Racing Seats, 4-point harnesses, and other safety features
- 800+ hp / 670 lb-ft torque
- Approximate cost to build: ~$50,000 to ~$100,000 depending on spec
TRACK Only
Formula Drift Spec 5FD (RTR Competition vehicles)
The highest trim of the RTR Vehicles fleet is the Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD. These cars are reserved for the RTR team members (Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chelsea Denofa, Adam LZ, and James Deane), and are built to the highest level of performance and precision. Each race car starts as a body-in-white, which means the car arrives at the RTR Lab as a clean slate, without any suspension or subframe parts attached. From there, the team builds a multi-point rollcage that meets the specifications for Formula Drift, adds their highly customized BC Racing coilover suspension and custom RTR steering components, fits Recaro racing seats and RTR harnesses by Schroth inside the cockpit, and adds a slew of race-grade electronics and components to monitor everything. Under the hood, Roush Yates race engines with nitrous push well over 1,000hp when required, while the radiator is relocated to the trunk to protect it in the event of a crash. The entire front and rear bumper structures are custom made and tubular, designed to collapse in a specific way that protects the major components in each corner but can be quickly replaced if damaged.
The RTR team has been refining the exact build specifications of these Mustangs over the last 15+ years and 2 championships in Formula Drift, progressing from the S197 chassis into the S550 and now the current S650 chassis. So far in 2023, the RTR Spec 5 FD race cars have seen the top step of the podium in Seattle, Englishtown, Orlando, and Atlanta. There’s no denying that the RTR Ford Mustang racecars are among the most technically advanced on the FD grid, and the advantage for Ford Mustang owners is that the knowledge from running a competitive race program is contributing to the design and engineering of the RTR products that are available for purchase for your vehicle!
In select instances, RTR Vehicles has build a select few Spec 5D vehicles for customers, which bridges the gap between the Spec 5 street car and the Spec 5FD race cars, to be used for grassroots driving or international competition. These vehicles often have a lot of the same steering and safety components as the Spec 5FD, but with engines and other components that are toned down a bit and easier to service than the Roush Yates units to make them slightly more serviceable. The Spec 5D isn’t formally available to the public, but for the right customer and use case, RTR might be able to build one for you!
Specs:
Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5FD
- Roush Yates RY45 race engine
- Custom Nitrous Oxide system
- Custom Roll Cage
- Custom RTR steering components
- Radiator relocated to the trunk
- Modular crash structures at each corner for easy replacement in the event of damage
- RTR widebody kit
- RTR wheels
- Nitto NT555 G2 Tires
- ~1000hp / 900 lb-ft torque (varied based on the track)
- Cost to build: $PRICELE$$
