Mustangs are well known for their drag racing prowess, though until recently they weren’t exactly the best handling cars. Ford has made great strides towards improving the handling of their cars though, and new Mustangs actively participate in many motorsports with an emphasis on turning rather than speed. No where is this more evident than in Formula Drift, with racer Vaughn Gittin Jr. spearheading the effort (and taking home lots of wins).

Gittin has been hard at work on another project though; his 1969 RTR-X Mustang. Speedhunters has been chronicling the buildup, and while the car has come a long way, it still has a lot of work to be done before its premier at the 2010 SEMA show.

Pictures: Mike Garrett/Speedhunters

Just a quick recap on what, exactly, the RTR-X Mustang is. Based on the ’69 Mustang fastback Dynacorn reproduction shell, Vaughn Gittin Jr. wants to turn it into a slammed, street-legal monster powered by Ford’s new 5.0 liter V8 engine. It will be getting all sorts of goodies, including a six-speed transmission, Wilwood brakes, 18” wheels, Kinsler throttle-body injection, and an Art Morrision subframe assembly. Sounds pretty badass, right?

Vaughn Gittin Jr. himself has been writing up regular updates on the RTR-X’s progress for Speedhunters. His latest post details some of the problems they have had, as well as solutions. For the first time, the RTR-X project is rolling along the ground, its chassis work mostly completed at this point. They had some problems with the three-link suspension, as the RTR-X hangs just a few inches off of the ground. That has all been fixed through some clever engineering, and they can now roll the Mustang around the shop.

They’ve managed to fit the 2011 Mustang’s 5.0 engine into the frame too. We were wondering how well an engine like that would fit in a classic Mustang frame, as it is a very wide engine. The answer appears to be that it fits very well (though this is a custom-built frame). The RTR-X also has an amazing amount of turning for a ’69 Mustang, and it is certainly shaping up to be a primo drifting car. It also looks amazing, given that there is hardly any room between the tires and the fenders, and the car is just inches off of the ground.

The interior is also coming along nicely, with a Dynacorn dash pad and Stitchcraft-designed interior. Details on the interior are yet unknown, but these guys have got their work cut out for them. Vaughn Gittin Jr. is 6’2”, there is a roll cage, and this car will be as much a racer as it will be a cruiser. The RTR-X has really come together though, and it looks like it will indeed be ready for SEMA 2010. We are looking forward to seeing this car in person, as it will undoubtedly be among the most badass Mustangs there.