Drifting a vehicle is a demonstration of supreme car control that impresses and fascinates. When done by professionals, it is like automotive ballet with the car (or cars) sliding around in precise movements. The skill these drivers possess can be seen when they can drift just centimetres away from a wall as their tyres smoke while fighting for grip.
The skill can be learnt though it takes time and lots of practice. Once a driver has gained sufficient skill and confidence, there are places where drifting can be enjoyed (but should not be done on public roads) and also events where drivers compete.
For those who want to enjoy drifting in a quicker time, Ford has come up with an electronic drift brake, a segment-first, which is currently only available in the latest Mustang. The electronic drift brake is a collaborative effort between Ford and RTR Vehicles which has developed Formula Drift Spec 5-FD competition Mustangs.
The drift brake is part of the Mustang Performance Electronic Parking Brake equipped in 2.3-litre EcoBoost and 5.0-litre V8 Mustangs with automatic or manual transmissions (and the optional Performance Pack. The drift brake emulates, using advanced electronics, the hydraulic mechanical drift brake found in RTR’s Formula Drift Mustang.
Besides unlocking the rear-wheel-drive drifting capability of the , the electronic drift brake also has more than 3 times the braking force of a conventional mechanical parking brake system. A novice can use the electronic drift brake to learn drifting and later change the system settings to use in track-only competition.
The optional electronic drift brake and Performance Electronic Parking Brake will be offered with the Mustang from the middle of this year. It will also be is RTR Vehicles debuts new, 7th generation Mustang-based Spec 5-FD Formula Drift competition vehicle which will debut this weekend at the 2023 Formula Drift Long Beach event in California.
“I’m excited to announce not only that I will be back behind the wheel of a competition Mustang RTR with our signature aggressive styling and serious performance updates but I’m also thrilled that Ford and RTR have worked tirelessly to make something special with the new electronic drift brake,” said 2-time Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. “Chelsea and I had the honour of working with the passionate engineering team at Ford to develop. Our goal was putting larger smiles on the faces of soon-to-be fellow 7th generation Mustang owners.”
Working in parallel with Ford, RTR has been developing not one, but 3 Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs with entirely new exteriors based off the Mustang production car. Gittin’s drift car features out-of-this world livery, inspired by photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Additional competition enhancements include output raised to more than 1,300 bhp and enhanced suspension development. These mark the most significant evolution of the Formula Drift Mustang in years, to be piloted by some of the greatest drivers on the planet from RTR Vehicles’ Drift Team.
