What Does RTR Stand For On A Ford Mustang?
You may have seen RTR logos on Ford products competing in various motorsports, spotted their badges on cars at your local car meets, or even seen their name on upgraded versions of Ford’s latest high-performance EcoBoost-powered muscle car. Maybe you even remember the Mustang RTR driven by Jeremy Clarkson in The Grand Tour. But what does RTR mean? RTR modifies Ford vehicles, and to put it simply, the initials RTR stand for Ready to Rock. RTR was founded in 2009 by Vaughn Gittin Jr, an Ultra4, NASCAR, and Formula Drift driver -– and apparently, Vaughn has been speaking the motto since he was a teen.
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The phrase now represents an entire aftermarket company. RTR Vehicles is a retailer and custom modification shop that upgrades some modern Ford products, partnering with the automaker several times over the last decade. A Mustang was their first project, but they’ve expanded to a number of different Ford vehicles. Specifically vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport, F-150, Ranger, and Maverick. They’ve also dipped their toes into some pretty bonkers projects like the Mustang Mach-E 1400, an all-electric drift monster with 1,400 horsepower and seven electric motors. Currently, they offer several upgrades for Mustangs built from 2018 to 2023, but their biggest upgrades are available on the newest Mustangs.
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Upgrading your Mustang with some RTR stuff
Various packages are available for the current-generation Ford Mustang – starting with what RTR calls the Design package. It starts at $6,995 on top of the price of your Mustang and adds a unique grille, LED lights around the front air intakes, unique 19-inch wheels, a decklid spoiler, a windshield banner, a dash plaque, and some additional RTR badging. Essentially, it’s a cosmetic package. From there, RTR offers Spec packages – 1, 2, and 3. The Spec 1 package ($11,495) gets most of the Design package’s equipment along with lowering springs, an upgraded shift knob, RTR floor mats, upgraded tires, unique lug nuts, and a special clam shell for your Mustang’s key fob.
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Specifically for Mustang GT models, the Spec 2 ($17,995) adds hood vents, front splitters, unique front bumper grilles, adjustable sway bars in the front and rear, adjustable front struts and rear shocks, and 20-inch wheels with staggered width (20×10.5 in the rear, 20×9.5 up front). There are also a number of one-off parts available if you’re looking to upgrade your Mustang at a slower pace or without such a big financial commitment upfront. And at the top of the customization lineup for RTR Mustangs is the Spec 3 package which adds a whopping $32,995 to the price of your regular Mustang GT, but it’s not just for looks.
Added power via the Spec 3 package
For the most part, the RTR Design and Spec 1 packages are appearance-oriented – even RTR labels them that way. The Spec 2 package goes a bit further with suspension modifications, but the Spec 3 is an entirely different animal. Under the hood, a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger is added to the mix, which is a serious performance upgrade. A standard 2025 Ford Mustang GT with a 5.0-liter V8 produces 480 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. The Spec 3 RTR Mustang claims that the supercharger increases those numbers to 810 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque. An X-Pipe exhaust is available on all three Spec models.
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Like the Spec 2, the Spec 3 gets all sorts of cosmetic upgrades and many of the same suspension components like adjustable sway bars and shocks. And, like some other RTR packages, the Spec 3 gets high-performance Nitto tires. On Spec 2 and Spec 3 cars, several custom paint colors are available via RTR’s Paint To Sample program, but prices are pretty steep depending on which package you go with. Any one of their standard paint jobs will run $8,995, while Premium paint is $14,995, and custom-selected colors will cost $5k more than the standard or premium paint, depending on the color. They aren’t cheap, but RTR Mustangs are highly customizable, and they can still be serviced at your local Ford dealer.
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