In September of last year Ford introduced the world to the all-new seventh-generation, 2024 model year Mustang. Fast forward to today and the Blue Oval has now revealed that it’s spent the last few months working hand in hand with RTR Vehicles to develop a handful of new Formula Drift competition cars built on the new gen-seven Mustang platform.
Together, the Ready-To-Rock race shop and the Michigan marque have created a trio of Spec 5-FD Formula Drift race cars that all feature custom aero-kitted bodywork and their own unique livery. New, upgraded suspension setups have also been added, though the biggest change to the new seventh-generation donor is undoubtedly the drift racers’ engines, which now each put down a cool 1,300hp. It’s also been revealed that, in addition to Chelsea DeNofa, Adam LZ, and James Deane, Ford’s announced that Two-time Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. will be returning to competition after a year-long hiatus and will compete alongside the aforementioned trio of drivers for Ford and RTR.
On top of piloting these new Spec F-FD Mustangs, the racers on the team have also worked closely with Ford to help the automaker develop a new segment-first electronic drift brake that will be available on the forthcoming 2024 Mustang. Emulating the function and feel of a competition-spec drift car’s hydraulic hand brake through the use of some wildly advanced electronics, this drift-specific hand brake offers over three times the braking force of a conventional mechanical parking brake system, making it incredibly easy for even novice drifters to break traction, slide out the back wheels, and enjoy some good old fashioned rear-wheel-drive drifting action.
The new 2024 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD Formula Drift Racers are scheduled to make their competition debut on April 7th and 8th at the Long Beach round of the 2023 Formula Drift Series before heading to Braselton, Georgia the following month on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. The new electronic drift brake will be available as part of a performance package on certain model variants and a standard amenity on other trim levels — both of which go on sale later this summer.
