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Ford Mustang RTR injects the 4-cylinder pony with more performance, personality
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 18, 2025
Dearborn — The performance-focused, V8-powered Ford Mustang GT, Dark Horse and GTD monsters now have a little brother to play with.
Say hello to the Mustang RTR hellion, the performance trim of the pony car’s base, Ecoboost, turbo-4-cylinder model.
The RTR is the spiritual heir to the last-generation, 2020-2023 Mustang’s High Performance model (HiPo for short), one of autodom’s best-kept enthusiast secrets. RTR brings similar performance, but ups the swagger by partnering with drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s RTR Vehicles (RTR is short for Ready to Rock), an aftermarket mod shop in Concord, North Carolina.
Ford, Ford
The RTR hook-up marks only the second time in Mustang’s 60-year history that Ford Motor Co. has partnered with a third-party on a high-performance, factory-built Mustang. The other was with motorsports legend Carroll Shelby in 1965, and Gittin’s outsize personality and talent are a fitting sequel to Shelby’s legacy.
Like Shelby, whose cars came with signature double stripes, RTR brands the new Mustang model with its signature, lit, LED grille nostrils. The Mustang RTR’s left nostril is functional, sucking in air to feed the turbocharged beast within.
“With Mustang RTR, we’re producing the most badass, factory-built, turbocharged Mustang ever,” Gittin said. “When I launched RTR in 2009 at 29, I had no plan beyond making Mustangs cool and exciting for the next generation. The 2026 Mustang RTR does just that.”
Ford, Ford
The Detroit News got a sneak peek of the RTR at Ford’s Dearborn corporate headquarters ahead of its introduction Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Gittin is expected to demo the Mustang RTR’s capabilities at the Formula Drift Pro season finals in Long Beach on Saturday. You may be able to smell the smoke from melting tires all the way in Detroit.
Mustang RTR borrows multiple design features from big brother GT, beginning with a GT-styled grille anchored by a unique, Tarnished Dark Anodized version of the Mustang logo. Other GT-inspired goodies include quad tailpipes with active-valve exhaust roar, rear wing, and a large single dash screen that houses both the 12.4-inch instrument and 13.2-inch infotainment displays.
You’ll also recognize Junior by its unique graphics package on the hood ‘n’ hips, and larger Brembo brake calipers
Ford, Ford
But the real RTR magic is beneath the pony’s skin.
The Mustang RTR comes standard with an Electronic Drift Brake feature for, naturally, hoonigan behavior popularized by Gittin Jr. and his Formula Drift Pro peers. RTR adds to the recipe a so-called steering gear that allows increased steering input to aid the drifting experience. Like the last-gen HiPo, RTR adds upgraded shocks, springs, and sticky summer tires (Goodyear Eagle F1s) — then ups the ante by importing the rear subframe and beefier stabilizer bars from big brother Dark Horse.
Mustang RTR also boasts a Ford first — a so-called anti-lag turbo feature. Derived from Ford Racing experience on track, anti-lag keeps the turbocharger spooled for better throttle response while carving corners, drifting or engaging in general misbehavior.
“This is Formula Drift championship-winning know-how, Mustang EcoBoost balance and affordability, and the race-proven performance technology from Mustang Dark Horse,” said Mustang Chief Engineer Laurie Transou. “With the RTR Package, this Mustang is truly ready to rock.”
According to Mustang Brand Manager Ryan Shaughnessy, Gittin — the Formula Drift champion in 2010 and 2020 — was particularly keen on including the steering gear, anti-lag and suspension calibration features on the RTR to give it a unique personality.
Ford, Ford
Curiously, RTR does not come standard with a horsepower boost over the regular 2.3-liter Mustang EcoBoost’s 315 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque But customers can hit up their dealer after purchase for a Ford Performance Parts Installation upgrade to a stonkin’ 350 ponies and 400 pound-feet of torque. The latter figure is just 15 pound-feet shy of the GT’s mighty V-8.
Also an option are magneride shocks to improve handling, though stickier, track-focused tires are not (yet) available.
Sadly, a manual transmission is not an option.
Though the RTR benefits from numerous GT hand-me-downs, the six-speed manual is not one of them. Ford’s ubiquitous 10-speed automatic transmission is standard, and customers can get their stick kicks by shoving it in MANUAL mode and rowing the gears with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. With half the cylinders, the 2.3-liter 4-cylidner up front saves 200 pounds over the V8-powered GT, making the car more nimble on corner turn-in.
Slip into the Mustang RTR, and the door sills glow with a MUSTANG RTR graphic. Seats are decorated with yellow stitching to complement yellow seatbelts. Seat options run from standard cloth to heated/cooled ActiveX thrones to heated/cooled premium leather. Recaro seats are also available. Customers can choose from 10 Mustang colors, including a new Avalanche Gray for RTR.
Ford, Ford
Push the START button and a cool RTR animation runs across the big digital screens, ending in the coupe drifting into the distance.
The RTR Package will be available for order in the second quarter of 2026 on the base Mustang EcoBoost with the High package and the Mustang EcoBoost Premium. Expect the RTR to start at over $40k compared to the standard, $34k Mustang Ecoboost when it hits dealerships next summer. Option-laden models should push $50k, less than the $66k starting price for the V8-powered Dark Horse Mustang.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.