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The Drive reports that Ford and RTR engineered a hand-operated drift brake into the RTR Mustang, reviving a control the article says is nearly absent from new cars. The writer welcomes the feature for its use in deliberate rear-wheel slides and its connection to driver involvement, though it is not a conventional parking brake.
Ford and RTR have brought a hand-operated drift brake to the RTR Mustang, prompting a Drive writer to argue that the old-fashioned hand brake still has a place in performance cars. The report describes the feature as a way to deliberately unsettle the car’s rear wheels, a driving function that electronic parking-brake buttons generally do not provide.
The Drive writer recalls attending Ford’s ST Octane Academy after buying a new Fiesta ST about a decade earlier. At the event, modified Fiesta and Focus ST cars had custom-fabricated drift brakes for an autocross-style timed course. The writer says the instructors expected participants to use the handles to initiate a tight 180-degree turn, despite the writer’s then-held view that sliding a car was showy and slow.
A conventional hand brake and a drift brake both use a handle to engage the rear brakes, according to the report. The key difference is that the drift brake described there does not latch: it springs back when released. That makes it unsuitable for holding a parked car on a hill, but useful for inducing a slide. The writer says their view changed over time and now regards the RTR Mustang’s feature as fun and worthwhile.
The report frames the drift brake as a specific feature rather than a return to standard equipment across the Mustang range. It says traditional pull-handle parking brakes have become rare even among cars with manual transmissions, as manufacturers have largely moved to electronic switches or buttons. The article does not provide production figures or details about the brake’s availability across RTR Mustang versions.
A Separate Tool for Car Control
The argument is about more than how a car is parked. A mechanical hand lever gives a driver a direct way to apply the rear brakes briefly, which can help produce a controlled slide in a suitable setting. An electronic parking brake is designed primarily to secure a stationary vehicle; the writer says it is not a comparable tool for managing traction while driving.
That distinction matters to enthusiasts who value driver-operated controls, particularly as manual transmissions and traditional hand brakes become less common. The report does not claim that every driver needs a drift brake. Instead, it presents the RTR feature as an example of a manufacturer and tuning partner retaining a function for driver engagement, even when packaging or cost pressures favor simpler controls.
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From Fiesta Academy to RTR Mustang
The writer’s perspective comes from two stages of experience. At Ford’s ST Octane Academy, the timed course required a tight turn where instructors expected drivers to use the modified cars’ drift brakes. The writer recalls being frustrated that sliding was part of the challenge, having regarded sideways driving as slower than a clean autocross line. The writer says they finished third and remained somewhat bitter about it.
In the years since, the writer says their attitude softened. The source mentions the EcoBoost Mustang losing its manual transmission with the S650 redesign and describes the RTR Mustang as a fun package. Against that backdrop, the hand brake has become a reminder of a control the writer misses. The article’s central point is personal commentary based on driving experience, not a technical test or a broad market study.
“I actually just miss the entire notion of a hand brake.”
— The Drive writer
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Availability and Design Details
The source does not specify the drift brake’s price, exact mechanical design, or availability across RTR Mustang models. It also does not establish how many new cars still use conventional pull-handle parking brakes; the claim that they are nearly extinct is the writer’s characterization, not a statistic supported by market data in the report. The article does not describe testing on public roads or claim the drift brake is appropriate for ordinary driving.
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Whether Other Models Follow
The report identifies no announced plans by Ford, RTR, or other automakers to add similar controls to more vehicles. Any wider return of hand-operated brakes would depend on future model decisions, which are not detailed in the source. For now, the confirmed development in the article is the RTR Mustang’s drift-brake feature and the writer’s favorable response to it; broader availability and demand remain unknown.
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Key Questions
What is the difference between a drift brake and a regular hand brake?
Both use a handle to apply the rear brakes. The drift brake described in The Drive’s report springs back when released and does not latch, so it cannot serve as a conventional parking brake.
What does the RTR Mustang’s drift brake do?
It lets a driver apply the rear brakes to help initiate a slide. The source discusses it as a driver-control feature, not as a replacement for the car’s parking brake.
Are traditional hand brakes disappearing from new cars?
The Drive writer says pull-handle parking brakes are now rare, including in many cars with manual transmissions. The report provides no market-wide count or data to measure how many vehicles still have them.
Will Ford add the drift brake to other Mustang models?
The source does not report plans to expand the feature to other versions or models. Future availability is not stated in the article.
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