Ford Reveals All-New Mustang Formula Drift Competition Vehicles
Ford, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and RTR Vehicles have revealed the newest Formula Drift Spec 5-FD competition Mustangs, the companies announced.
Working in parallel with Ford, RTR has developed three Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs with entirely new exteriors based off the Mustang production car.
“We took the bad ass styling, technology, and overall progression of the all-new Mustang as inspiration to develop our new Mustang RTRs for Formula Drift,” said Gittin Jr., who will be returning to the driver’s seat in 2023. “The result is the best looking and best performing Mustang RTRs that we have ever created, and they are so fun to drive.”
Competition enhancements include more than 1,300 horsepower and enhanced suspension development. The fleet of new Mustangs will be piloted by RTR Vehicles’ Drift Team, including Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chelsea DeNofa, Adam LZ, and newest team member, three-time champion James Deane, the company said.
Ford and RTR also developed an electronic drift brake for the 2024 Mustang, the automaker said.
The track-only electronic drift brake aims to unlock the rear-wheel-drive drifting capability of a traditional, mechanical hand brake, Ford engineers said. The drift brake is part of the Mustang Performance Electronic Parking Brake equipped in 2.3-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter V8 Mustangs with automatic or manual transmissions and the available Performance Pack. The drift brake emulates with the hydraulic drift brake found in RTR’s Formula Drift Mustang, with more than three times the braking force of a conventional mechanical parking brake system, Ford said.
