Matt Farah Rips Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s Personal 2017 RTR Mustang GT
With chassis setup by Vaughn, the RTR Mustang is bound to be good.
In what amounts to an adaptive damper handling package, wheels, sticky tires, and an ECU tune, the RTR Spec 2 takes a great Mustang and makes it better – for a $12,000 premium. In this video, Matt Farah tracks the car at Gingerman Raceway during this summer’s GridLife event. It’s still wearing its window sticker when Matt takes it out, confirming that this is effectively a brand new car.
Compared to a regular Mustang GT, the RTR car features more neutral handling, exhibiting a bit of understeer that can be easily balanced with the throttle. While it may not be an apples-to-apples comparison, Farah says this Mustang is even faster than his borrowed BMW M3 on the same track.
It’s interesting to note that Ford builds what’s effectively a better version of this car in their GT350. Even with the RTR’s price premium, it comes in at just under the Shelby. But Shelbys don’t seem to be trading for sticker in real-world buying scenarios. So from a budget perspective, the RTR might be the one to buy if you can’t pony up for the dealership premiums for a GT350. Granted, the Voodoo engine and Tremec gearbox still might be worth the premium, so be sure to drive both before making your commitment.
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In the video, the car appears to drive quite nicely, and quickly. Matt is really hustling around the Gingerman circuit, and looks to be calm in his application of steering. With big sticky tires and the already excellent Mustang chassis, we had hoped it would be great with a bit of tweaks from the RTR suspension tuning. The car’s end goal seems to have been met, but is it really worth the twelve grand premium? You’ll have to decide that for yourself when you test drive one.
