SEMA 2013: Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Double Down Mustang RTR

We may be approaching the end of 2013 but work never slows down here at Air Lift Performance! We’re hugely excited to now be an official partner of Speedhunters.com, and to kick things off we’ve teamed up with drifting superstar Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his awesome ‘Double Down Mustang RTR’ project…

‘This project came about very organically after I received a call from a friend at Ford who just so happened to take some hot laps in Air Lift’s R&D car at a local track day in Michigan’ Vaughn explains. ‘He was ranting and raving about how it felt. I reached out to Brian at Air Lift via a phone call and after nerding out on all the details of this new technology was very surprised at what they have developed.’

The Mustang RTR is all about performance, fun and looks that kill – something Vaughn has always supported after launching the new model several years back. This time Vaughn wanted to really push the limits and stray away from the norm while keeping those core values, meaning a full Air Lift Performance kit would be the perfect addition!

‘I organized some track time for Brian and I at Ford’s steering and handling’ adds Vaughn. ‘After a few laps of feeling the car and starting to push it pretty hard, my mind was blown with how this new technology handled what I threw at it. My brain started to wonder what the limits of this new air suspension technology was. Can it… drift? Grip? Drag? Blast over speed bumps? Maybe even JUMP??? And also offer a good ride quality on the street? Those questions are what led us here and are the crux of this project. So we’re going to have some fun over the next year and find out!’

Vaughn never intended to have the Double Down RTR @ SEMA this year, but it wasn’t long before the project transformed into something REALLY special. First up the Mustang was converted to a manual transmission closely followed by a Torsen diff, Exedy Stage 2 Clutch and custom tune. ‘Blister’ fenders replace the standard items allowing Vaughn to ride low at the push of a button without compromising the drivability.

‘The overall adjustment range of this air suspension set-up is massive!’ Vaughn adds. ‘The damping is 30-way adjustable; this adjustment and their proprietary valving is where I believe Air Lift has really figured it out. Having proper damping adjustment to work with the ‘spring’ rate variations the bags offer is key to performance. During our short test, I confirmed that adjustments DO make a difference in the way the car reacts. So many shock products claim damping adjustment these days and for many, the changes are negligible at best.’

As you can see from the Speedhunters.com shoot, the Double Down RTR looks stunning especially when fully aired out! For more information on Vaughn’s build check out his blog post on Speedhunters.com here: http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/10/introducing-double-rtr/#chapter-new-beginnings