POWER SLIDE: This one-of-a-kind RTR-C Mustang for sale at Mohegan Sun will send your mind to drifting

May 31, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham

World Champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. is bringing his one-of-one 2010 Ford Mustang RTR-C (Lot #658) to the Barrett-Jackson block at the Northeast Auction.

As the Mustang has smoked its tires through decades of reinventions, it has inspired big names from every corner of the performance world ‒ sports car racing, drag racing, even Italian-design superstars (you know their names). It’s a tribute to Ford’s ability to keep the Mustang fresh that the car continues to influence new generations of performance enthusiasts, and these new fans keep adding to the famed pony car’s legacy.

The sport of drifting is a relative latecomer to the motorsports catalog, but it has proven to be hugely influential. One of the sport’s biggest stars is World Champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., who, like many successful racers before him, decided to put his own spin on Ford’s iconic performance car. The result is the Mustang RTR. Three levels of RTR Mustangs can be created through turn-key spec packages available through select Ford dealers, offering proven performance teamed with contemporary, unique styling.

The most ambitious RTR ever built will be offered for sale with No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s Northeast Auction at Mohegan Sun. Created as a halo car to launch the RTR brand, the hand-built 2010 RTR-C (Lot #658) is a one-of-one collectible unlike any other Mustang you’ll find.

One-hundred percent of the exterior sheet metal was replaced with carbon fiber, which cut the stock Mustang GT’s weight by 500 pounds. It was built with exacting detail ‒ the carbon weave across the entire car lines up across the seams. The unique RTR-styled body pieces ‒ such as the grille, rocker splitters, rear spoiler and rear splitter ‒ are also carbon fiber. Even the 20-inch HRE wheel hoops are made of carbon fiber, at a cost of $25,000.

These high-quality carbon-fiber parts were pulled off the same molds as Vaughn’s famous championship-winning Drift Mustang, and the entire RTR-C was built in the same race shop where his race cars are engineered, built and maintained.

That unified design philosophy carries over into the custom interior. The driving environment includes Sparco RTR-C edition seats and harness, an RTR-C harness bar, a leather-upholstered rear seat delete panel, and RTR-C backlit door sill plates.

There’s plenty of added thrust to leverage all that weight reduction the carbon fiber brings. The RTR-C is powered by a supercharged 4.6-liter 3-valve V-8, boosted by a 550-horsepower Ford Racing supercharger. Downstream, 1-3/4-inch American Racing headers feed into a 3-inch X-pipe and Ford Racing FR500 mufflers. K&N air and oil filters keep lubrication and airflow in the optimal range.

Harnessing that engine is a 5-speed transmission, Ford Racing 3.73 axle package and differential cover, and a Torsen limited-slip differential.

You’d expect the suspension to be a top priority for any car mapped out by a championship drifter, and that’s definitely the case with the nimble RTR-C. This Mustang has Ford Racing front and rear anti-roll bars, along with Autosport Dynamics rear control arms and panhard link. The entire suspension system is adjustable and has been developed for good ride quality on the street as well as an ability to attack the track. Stopping power comes from a 6-piston front brake kit and 4-piston rear brakes.

To see just what a drift car can do in the hands of a skilled professional, you should hop on over to the Videos section of Barrett-Jackson.com. Vaughn Gittin Jr. teamed up with BJAC to film “No Reserve Drifting,” a wild video shot on-site at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale facility, with Gittin behind the wheel of an RTR Spec 2 Mustang. Don’t miss the part where Gittin drifts circles around CEO Craig Jackson’s Bugatti Veyron.

You can view the video HERE. Then you can view the RTR-C at Mohegan Sun June 21-24, and contemplate some drifting stunts of your own.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.