Sometimes the quickest road to success is sideways.

If you have even a casual interest in the sport of drifting, then you have almost certainly have heard the name Vaughn Gittin Jr. His Monster Energy-sponsored Ford Mustangs have been sliding around the Formula Drift circuit for a few years now, but beyond the roar of V8 engines and behind the clouds of tire smoke, Vaughn Gittin Jr is a true car enthusiast at heart and someone who risked a great deal to pursue his dream of a career in the then nascent sport of professional drifting.

Vaughn grew up in a quiet corner of Maryland, and from the time he was born, he played an active role in his father’s love of cars. His father is a huge Tri-5 and muscle car enthusiast, and actively encouraged Vaughn’s obsession. At the age of 16, as a reward for making the honor roll, he bought Vaughn his first car, a 1964 Cutlass. This Cutlass also happened to have 100-spoke Dayton wheels and hydraulics, which probably makes it among the coolest first cars ever. He eventually purchased a wrecked 93 Nissan 240sx from a friend and over the course of several years began modifying it until he discovered drift culture in the late 1990s. Having a can-do attitude, he began teaching himself how to drift, how to slide the car and link turns in industrial parks.

By 2003, the sport of drifting already had some traction on the West coast and was just starting to go east. It was at this time that Vaughn started attending drift events, eventually got sponsorship from Falken Tire, in 2005 he transitioned from the 240sx platform to the S197 Mustang, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Outside of motorsport, Vaughn has become deeply involved as a designer/builder. His line of dealer-available RTR Ford Mustangs debuted at SEMA in 2010 alongside the incredible RTR-C carbon-bodied Mustang. It was at this point that Vaughn really earned his stripes as a builder and visionary. The RTR-C took all of Vaughn’s influences from America, Japan, and Europe and brought them together in carbon fiber to create one of the first truly world class S197 Mustangs.

The next real milestone for RTR as a brand was the jaw dropping RTR-X. Built in conjunction with Team Need For Speed, the RTR-X is based on a 1969 Mustang. The car started with a Dynacorn body, the front clip was replaced with a custom subframe by Art Morrison, and the engine is a Boss 302R crate engine from Ford Racing running Kinsler fuel injection controlled by a MoTec engine management system. The headers were built by Twins Turbo and the rest of the exhaust is from MagnaFlow. The front suspension consists of coilovers by JRi, the rear utilizes a Maier Racing cantilevered system and a custom three link setup from Steen Chassis. The body of the RTR-X is unique, with its massive flares, spoiler and scoops, flush-mounted glass, and tucked bumpers. What is more unique is that it was finished completely in metal, with no fiberglass to be found anywhere. Needless to say, people were excited by the RTR-X. It was as functional as it was wild looking and that was something people weren’t used to seeing. But Vaughn Gittin Jr isn’t one to rest on his laurels, and what he did next completely reshaped people’s idea of what was possible with a Mustang.

The RTR Hoonicorn 65 Mustang Coupe is the brainchild of Hoonigan’s Ken Block and when he found that he needed help realizing it, he came to Vaughn to lead the design portion of the project. If you’ve been living under a rock and aren’t familiar with the Hoonicorn by now, it’s exactly the kind of lunatic slide machine that the world’s two foremost experts on tire torture would dream up. Vaughn’s team at RTR started with this iconic body shape and quickly began lowering it and widening it, as well as adding huge fender flares and diffusers, giving it a truly evil shape. Power comes from a Roush-Yates NASCAR V8 with approximately 850hp, and is sent to all four wheels via a sequential gearbox and custom one-off SADEV ultra-heavy duty all wheel drive system. Ken Block took this weapon to the streets of Los Angeles for his incredible Gymkhana 7 video.

The RTR Spec 2 and Spec 5 Mustangs debuted at the 2014 SEMA show to much fanfare and are a great example of what can be done aesthetically with these already great looking cars. These RTR Mustangs are also indicative of Vaughn’s long relationship with MagnaFlow. Vaughn has long been a supporter and avid user of MagnaFlow products even before he was a brand ambassador. “The guys at MagnaFlow are great at what they do. They’re all car nerds, as much as I am, we all speak the same language. Their products always sound amazing and the quality is second to none.” says Gittin.

Vaughn Gittin Jr is a self-made man right from the beginning. From teaching himself how to drift in industrial parks in Maryland, to driving through the night to various drift events with his car on an open trailer, to eventually becoming not only an ambassador for drifting but for the Ford Mustang in general. He has taken much of the “Mustang guy” stereotype and erased it, all while introducing the legendary pony car to an entirely different generation and subculture. Vaughn has managed to always do things his own way, never stopping to ask permission, and we’re excited to see him speeding sideways towards the future, both tires perpetually lit, and with MagnaFlow along for the ride.