Vaughn Gittin Jr. admits he didn’t become a hardcore Mustang fan until just six years ago, but he’s definitely making up for lost time. Driving his current ‘Stang, Gittin is one of the star competitors in the Formula Drift Pro Championship Series, finishing fifth in the point standings last year and topping the leader board after three events so far in 2010. And he backs that up by driving his own personal Mustang in Ford-sponsored drifting exhibitions around the country.
Gittin’s latest move? Working with Ford Racing Performance Parts to develop the Mustang GT RTR package, a dealer-installed upgrade aimed at introducing a whole new generation of enthusiasts to Ford muscle-car excitement.
The RTR setup brings the heat with some sizzling exterior mods, including a new front chin spoiler with splitter, side splitters, a rear diffuser, an aluminum rear spoiler, RTR contrast stripes, a unique shifter knob and 19-inch custom RTR wheels. But there was no way Gittin was going to put his name behind a car that didn’t offer equally blistering performance.
Of course, the big 5.0-liter V8 that comes standard in the Mustang GT is a great place to start, rocking a full 412 hp and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. But for its RTR configuration, Ford Racing retuned the airflow in that mill and squeezed out an extra 9 ponies, while adding in plenty of other “go fast” goodies to the car as well. Among them, the Blue Oval’s engineers also laid down a performance-tuned suspension featuring Ford Racing shocks, an upgraded rear anti-sway bar and new dampers/springs. Oh, and there’s a new “stop fast” revision as well, in the form of cross-drilled and slotted brake rotors.
Then there’s the new rubber. The Mustang GT RTR wears hi-po FK-452 tires from Falken, the same company that outfits and co-sponsors Gittin’s Formula D ride.
“The Mustang RTR keeps pace with modern design and performance trends, meant to stir the soul of every enthusiast and open up new eyes to the Ford Mustang,” said Gittin. “Whether it’s scrubbing a set of tires, blasting a straight, carving some turns or simply just cruising, the Mustang RTR is exactly what you want it to be. Trust me when I tell you this Mustang is ready to rock!”
The Mustang RTR GT is now available at select Ford dealerships across the country, with a package for the Mustang V6 slated to drop later this year.
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