Over the last month, the RTR-X has been in San Diego with Mark Delong. Mark has been hand-sculpting and leading the body since he took delivery. I was determined to make sure everything done to the body was done the "right" way using only metal. While I knew it was definately going to delay the project, I refused to do the body modifications any other way.
As you can see it has come quite far in regards to the body work. All of the work is obviously a work in progress, but I wanted to share the amazing metal work Mark is doing in its raw form. These pictures were taken at Steen Chassis during my three day trip back for some final touches and it has since gone back to Mark for the final massaging of the body including fitting all the body panels perfect.
It is unbelievable to see the body transforming from the stock shell to the incredible vision for the RTR-X as shown via Andy's original renderings.
It was pretty challenging dialing in the profile and sweep on the rear spoiler between Maryland and California. There was a lot of pictures and phone calls back and forth to say the least. Mark was more than willing to do it 15 times until it was perfect.
Eventually we nailed the "flow" we were going for. As you can see the spoiler defines the rest of the rear profile and is obviously a key element to the uniqueness of the RTR-X. Notice how tight the bumper is to the body? FLOW!!!
Next piece of art is the hand-formed NACA duct.
Mark nailed this on the first try and it is perfect!
Watch out birdies!
Here you can see where he added metal so that we could flush-mount the rear window and eliminate the factory trim.
A little bit of body leading to fill a factory seam. Of course no real lead was used in the state of California for this!
My beautiful Kinsler Custom ITB setup arrived and Mark did an amazing job on the hood and making it look factory.
And there you have it… the first-ever ITB injection system bolted onto Ford's new 2011 5.0 Mustang engine. Can you imagine what this thing is going to sound like tuned by Motec?!?! The suspense is killing me!
I am so happy with the attention to detail. Look at the tiny lip on the inside of the opening.
Even the underside of the hood looks like this could have been a factory option.
I did put my "metal only" attitude aside and decided to be practical when I chose to make the fender blisters and chin spoiler out of fiberglass for the simple reason that there is a good chance they could get ripped off at some point.
The Twins took the opportunity to fit the custom flares Maier Racing made for us while the fiberglass king was around to make sure everything fit properly with the fenders mounted.
Perfect wheel fitment! I'm not even going to bore you with the long story of how these fender blisters were made without having the body or the wheels on hand. It makes me smile to see how perfect they turned out on the car.
BOOM!
I will leave you with the view you will see in your rear view mirror, coming soon to a street near you!
- Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Read MORE about the RTR-X build
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
wow
I'm curious about that injection system: a car with one of this car drive in the rain?
NOT feeling the fender flares. But the rest is pretty damn awesome!
overfenders look like crap imho.
not quite sure how i feel about this one, the flares and rear spoiler make me think that bososuko styling has an influence on this build, and i am just not feeling it yet. i do love the front end though, the hood with the itb's sticking out is awesome
^^^ Agreed. The outside profile of the fender flares is too rounded when looking from the front of the car, that's why they don't look good. A sharper shape would make them more in line with the Mustang's bold lines. Otherwise it's damn near perfect.
Mother of god....
Love the overs.
I'm not really sure how I feel about the wheel/tire/overfender situation either but maybe it'll turn out fine. Either way it's still a really cool car.
Also definitely not feeling the flares, and I'm a flare lover. I'd love to see some steel blisters or something more keeping with the metal flowing lines! Flow!!
Amazing car otherwise!!
overfenders look daft, rest of the car is sweet.
ditch the fenders!
somehow the front wheels seem waaaay to large for the rest of the car.
Beside that I like it!
hmmmmm... i think i have to agree.... ditch those fenders....
Another voice saying:"Drop the fender flares!"
Normally, I'm a huge fender flares fan, but these simply look wrong on this car.
Those overfenders really ruins the look like it is right now..
the flares would look good if it was tied together with some kinda of side skirt... without a skirt i personally think it is going to look retarded
nice especially the fenders
for all you people that have some thin bad to say about this build, id love to see you do anything that compares in any way to this! if you cant respect the work and skill involved then you dont have a clue as to what you are looking at! prove me wrong? i bet you cant! good job mark, its the bollocks!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Mr. Gittin & Co.:
You guys didn't get an inspiration/ copy from the Harbinger Agent 47, did you?
I'm asking because your project looks awfully like the Harbinger Mustang.
http://www.agentfortyseven.com/harbinger/index.html
nick, we are car people and as such, we all have our personal tastes, when pictures are posted of a car on a public forum of any sort, people are going to voice their opinions, and not all are going to be what the builder wants to hear, ive done quite a bit of metal fab, as im sure many people who frequent sites such as this have, and im pretty sure i havnt seen anyone disrespect the work done, i just see people voicing their opinions. your post tends to come across as a classic case of internet trolling,..
signed - sickbugs, who still isnt quite sure what to make of the pseudo-boso styling.
@ Nick
Calm down lol, nobody is talking bad about the car. ITS AWESOME! But we're not just feeling the flares much
The fenders are throwing the lines off of the car Vaugh, This is a sick build with amazing attention to detail..
Just would love to see a different set of fenders, maybe some with sharper lines?
its agreed then, everyone hates those flares.. vaughn.. do it for yourself, do it for your fans... get rid of those terrible flares. in those first pictures with no flares and just fender cut out it looks awesome, maybe just roll the lip a lil bit and mold in the lines? would look way better than those particular flares
Lose the fenders, it's all far too neat to rivet some crappy FG fenders on.
beautiful. Great metal work on the lip. Repairs are going to be fun when this thing gets trashed drifting.
Damn! almost done!
Love the ride, but those fenders are killing the attitude.
That is all, everything else looks amazing, I would be afraid to drive it like a mad mad once it's done
This is getting bether and bether! Can't wait for the first spin of it.
God i cant wait to see when he is done with this the drawing with the black and green theme with the sick drop and wheels and the jdm style front lip its gonna look sick
wow amazing this thing is awsome i absolutely love the itbs just the flares im not a fan of. but flares are kinda hard to do on muscle cars
Def. one of my fav. builds as of late. What's the specs on the wheels and tires?
Man I'm really psyched about this car! You've kept us waiting for a long time to see Part Six of the build!
anxiously waiting for Part 7, Keep up the good work guys!
Full credit to the build. it looks great!
@nick
people are just stating there mind, this car was designed with the people that have the speedhunters enthusiasim in mind! if it dont look good someone gota know!
@cot
Fully agree with the repairs!!! i think the flares are the least of his worries! haha imagine the work to go into the rear bumper.
god i want this car done in a bad way
Killer
hell yeah!!!... WTF!!!...an excellent car....
Amazing work. This thing is already a work of art. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Don't look like NACA ducts to me. :p
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE BUMPS A WALL OR A CAR CLIPS HIM! THAT REAR CLIP IS DUNZO!!!!
The annotation for the last picture is awesome!
in 2 minds about the overfenders. rears look good, fronts look a bit dodgy, but its hard to tell without the chin spoiler and final wheels.
i reckon the looks of the car will stand or fall on getting those flares spot-on Mr Gittin. get the Meisters on there ASAP i would.
gonna be awesome tho.
I'm not digging the blisters either. I think you should take the time to massage the metal instead. As Tony240z said, the bulbous (that word is my contribution haha) blisters do not match the 'stang's lines at all. Other than that though, it looks amazing.
On a side note, those are not NACA ducts. Naca ducts are openings that allow some air to enter without significantly affecting the aerodynamics. Those beauties will most definitely alter aerodynamics, though I'm sure you're not worried too much about that, and they look absolutely gorgeous.
Looks great ! Can't wait to see more !
Car is amazing. Except for the flares. They don't match the lines of the rest of the car.
An outer edge on the flares would do the trick Vaughn. Hard to do any sort of flares on a muscle car really and you appear to have increased the track by quite a bit.
but now I've checked the earlier build posts and the concept has always had the flares, so maybe i'm wrong because they look great there
I'm scared!
"Watch out birdies!" LMAO!!!
fenders look half assed compared to the rest of the car
Looks nice..
But it "sits" at the back, but no dampers might explain that.
Exited to hear that engine.
It actually looks better to me without the flares and the wheel sticking out.
nice. been following the build and I am loving the path you have taken.
Awesomeness, but only one thing: Ditch those overfenders mate! Normally I would love them, but they just don't do justice to the rest of the car. Maybe rolling the existing fenders, or going about an inch or so narrower on the wheels. On the first 4-5 photos the car looks awesome without them, and damn its more than hellaflush!
I would radius the rear wheel fender blister marginaly if it is at its finished ride height
I would radius the rear wheel fender blister marginaly if it is at its finished ride height
I agree with nick my pops have a 1969 mach 1 fastback too never seen one like this I can wait to see when its done. Great work guys.
The coolest thing to do would be just to widen the original fenders. imo those overfenders look crap, looks like you have bolted some doughnuts to the side of the car...
The body of the car is edgy and sharp, Keep those overfenders in the same style!
Is it just me or is the front wheel 18" or 19" and the rear is smaller?
Loving the progress of the build by the way. I'm not sure why so many people seem confused about the fenders. That's how they were detailed on the 1st renderings. The fab metal work on the rear lip, hood and the side openings are GORGEOUS!!
Love the spoiler/bumper area and the funnels out the hood are just sick. The engine is beyond cool by far. Flares.....may need to go to the drawing board.
@ Nick,
This build is put on on Speedhunters specifically for our opinion, from day 1. Nobody thinks this car sucks or is saying it sucks, but as you can see, the flares are not jibing with the drawing, once seen in pictures. Everything on this is a wet dream come true, and Gitten is and should be damn proud of it. But he also is reading these comments, as it tells him just how 110% bad-ass this car is and its his way of checking himself to make sure every single part is. And yes Vaughn, we're all jealous as F$#&!!!!!
Looks amazing JR! Nice work by all parties involved..
I thought it was supposed to have a carbon fibre body
Happy Bday Vaughn! Are those Work Wheels all around?? If so..this thing's gonna be killer!
Hollywood hotrods did a Hilborn fuel injestion setup like this on a new 5.0 motor already,
http://www.hollywoodhotrods.com/Raybestos.htm ,
Scroll to the bottom of the page,
I think the fenders will look hot once paint is complete
Front fenders look dismal.
I can already picture how awesome this thing is going to look like when it's done. I've never seen a classic Mustang this nice before.
omg! JR this is gonna be so insane. cannot wait to see the finished product.
yea i have to agree on the fenders too...they may turn out to look amazing but as a person who loves drafting cars for lines, those fenders detract from the overall look of the car...it isnt a 240sx...so theres no need for 240sx style fender flares...i think you should have a set that blends better with the body lines of the car better and has less of a "raw" look...it doesnt look right being that no expense was spared for the rest of the build...and then fiberglass flares that dont match and look cheap...its like the mona lisa with a piece of duct tape on it...
why wouldnt they just pump the metal fenders?
just wonderin if you are gonna make molds once the car is complete. seeing as it's going to see track usage, it would be nice to be able to repair quickly.
Many of u think this car is a think-outside-the -box project. Let's stop kissing ass and dream so much about this Mustang, and let's give credit where credit is due.
The Harbinger Agent 47 Mustang has A LOT of similarities to this Mustang, but it was put together way before Mr. Gittin thought about this car.
Amazing project!
I love it!
And I can't wait of how it goes sideways, ha ha)
I think that car looks like badass without fenders!
The flares look cheap and tacky on this car and while they don't ruin the car completely they definitely don't do anything for it. It can't have cost much to get those made in relation to all the other money being spent on the car, my opinion is to just cut your losses and ditch them while you still can.
WAIT UNTIL THE FENDERS ARE COLOR MATCHED TO THE BODY AND WAIT UNTIL THE SSR'S ARE FITTED THEN YOU CAN DISS ALL YOU LIKE ON THEM....OF COURSE THEY DON'T LOOK GOOD IN THEIR CURRENT UNFINISHED STATE YOU OVER-PREJUDICED VULTURES!
Thanks for all the feedback everyone! it is coming along only 6 weeks left until SEMA.......I just got back from messing with the car for a few hours with Andy Blackmore. Today was the first time I saw the flares in the flesh mocked up properly. We decided we will need some changes to the flares . They absolutely have to be a bit larger and we might change the profile slightly. Stay tuned!!!
@jonsibal- 18x10 -20 and 18 x 12 -20 Work Meisters
I think the rear flares is awesome!But the front flares,hmm..seems someway it's too thick.
The ass is good with that rear flares,but in the front I should agree with kstyle.How about just roll the lip?Or if you still want the flares attached,maybe you can do something to make that more sweet to see.
Remember Mr. Vaughn,FLOW!
Not the first 2011 5.0 with itb injection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e5Mt6ecXkk
People, the fender blisters will work. You have to go back and look at the rendering and see what the finished product will look like. It is going to look killer and you can bank on that..
Looking fantastic. Carbon Fibre or black anodised velocity stacks (maybe with the bores skimmed back to bare alloy) would tie in better I think.
i agree with Nic, the fenders will look much better when everything or just front will be finished.
i think this is coming on well, i like the 'right metal attitude' too.. i like the look of the fenders although compared to the rest of the work you've done they seem like a quick fix - i think i understand why you've done it this way - but so far... so good - keep us posted!!
Bye the way, to anyone asking about the wheels, those are temps, just there for the moment. Test fit. Final wheels are much cooler, trust me. Look at the original designs.
That thing is going to be sweet!
Wow, some of you posters obviously have no clue about builds and design! I built cars for a living. Probably had about 20 cars at SEMA in the past decade and this is up with the best.
The wider front and rear track results in having to use some sort of extreme flare or extension, and nothing but a over-rider would work with such an increase. You can not roll the lip if the tire is already sticking out by an inch!
If I'm honest, the flares look a little low quality product in the images, but it really is hard to see to pass judgment. I suggest you wait until the car has been painted with the flares and body the same colour (looks like that from the illustrations), flares fitted flush, correct wheels. I know it will look stunning.
This is quite different to the HarbingerMustang. Both are track style Mustang, but performance and visually they are very different. Both have some influence from Trans Am. If you think this, you need to express the same opinion about every other race/track bred Mustang, period.
Cant wait to see this at SEMA!
Andy/Vaughn - I think it would help dramatically if the fixing recesses were reduced in diameter...although with six weeks to go, I suspect there are other things to complete!
Thanks for all the comments guys. It was great to see the car in person yesterday and we spent quite a few hours going around the car in detail. The fender flares did take up quite a bit of time as it was the first time they were seen together, rather than in isolation.
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As D1RGE mentions, these are temp wheels. The final tyre and Work Meisters wheel combo will arrive shortly and will be wider (!) which WILL necessitate new fender flares/overfenders anyway, so these are interim. They will remain bolt on. Form follows function and as this has to be street legal and drift, we need to be able to replace these if required....
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.....plus the original idea was to push the envelope with certain details, like wheel colour, fender flares, low stance. We didn't just want to do another Mustang. This one needed to stand out, kick ass and be ready to rock!
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Car looks stunning and everyone is doing such a fantastic job.
...you just have to wait for Part 7 now
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aj - Thanks for the comments, drop me a email, so I know who you are!
I like it. Also, i think it's funny how no one complained about the flares when the first renderings of the design were out and now everyone dislikes them. I, for one, do like the looks. Got to see it when it's done after all. I'm sure it turns out great!
I want to cry ..How beautiful
Dont really know about those fender blisters .... Everything else is verry cool
Also, for the record i need to give some attention to our resident genius "ALEX". He screaming to be heard and let his ignorance shine once again. He has tried to hijack every post of the build and compare the RTR-X to this other sweet ass 69 Mustang agent 47 built http://www.agentfortyseven.com/harbinger/index.html.
Yes Alex... aka captain obvious, they are both 69 Mustangs from dynacorn and both have fuel safe fuel cells.
LOWER IT!!!
the car is awesome the 1969 fastback is a sick design to begin with..is the car sitting at its driving ride height? and i know you have heard this over and over but take a look at the 1969 and 1970 trans am series mustangs they had perfect stance and the flaring looked good .just asking for you to take a look before you put those flares on....please someone make an executive decision......kill the flares
mmm ITB's
lol Alex, told, and by the way, about RTR-X/agent 47 conspiracy, guess what? No one cares.
Get owned, ALEX. By the man himself.
ditch the flares. all it needs is the tinyest of lips to save the tyres. looks rad otherwize
FLARES LOOK DUMB
Keep the flares
OHHHhH wow this build sucks BUT b4 u go sayin shut up just take the fucking rims off or at least shrink em and put thicker tires on and then id say its fucking awesome so if u wanna rip me up on this im jordan Overland at facebook or look 4 Drifterz33
Look guys,
flares look a bit over the top, but they are meant to, it is an over the top ride, so I can forgive them. Cant wait for monster to rip up the google images search on monster mustangs!
.. ps i masturbate too much
Its still early to have an opinion and the build does look fantastic, but some of the styling seems... mmhh dunno, need to see it finished.
awsome
This is going to be a beast ! I already love it, the flares are quite original on a stang and they just look awesome !