Ford Mustang RTR Previews EcoBoost Performance Package
At the first Detroit Auto Show to be held in January since 2019, Ford unveiled a special edition of the $300,000-plus, 815-horsepower Mustang GTD. It also bookended that debut by teasing a somewhat more attainable high-performance Mustang. Based on the turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost Mustang, the RTR is being developed in cooperation with the tuning shop of the same name — RTR stands for “Ready to Rock,” and the company was founded and is headed by two-time Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
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Captive Audience
After pulling the silk off the GTD, Ford surprised the crowd gathered to witness its debut by having Gittin drift a prototype of the RTR around them. It was a tantalizing display, but Ford is for the time letting our curiosity fester. Its announcement of the upcoming EcoBoost performance package was heavy on the hype but light on real information. The closest the automaker came to providing any detail was to mention that the RTR will use “Dark Horse components,” but it did not specify what parts the four-cylinder car might share with that high-performance Mustang GT derivative.
What we do know at this point is limited to the cosmetic upgrades that will distinguish the RTR. Ford noted the performance coupe “brings new style and dynamic driving capabilities to [the] Mustang EcoBoost, as hinted at by the demonstration car’s Hyper Lime Brembo brake calipers and pedestal spoiler.” The camouflaged prototype also sports RTR’s signature light-up nostrils in its grille.
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Mind the Gap
We also know Ford will be walking a fine line with the RTR. The 480-hp Mustang GT is closing in on $50,000, while the EcoBoost coupe starts at $33,515 (all prices include destination). With the Dark Horse bits, though, it seems safe to expect Ford and RTR will focus on the Mustang EcoBoost’s handling so as not to threaten the GT’s place in the pecking order.
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