According to the Chinese zodiac, the year of the horse ended on February 18, 2015. On balance, it was an extremely good stretch of time for the pony car, with Ford->ke31 celebrating half-century of the Mustang->ke428 by unveiling a sixth generation with all sorts of exciting new features and updates. This also marks the year that the blue oval’s iconic pony car would finally make it to previously unknown foreign shores.

Putting one final exclamation point to this success, we find professional drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. working his magic on the abandoned streets of Ordos, in Inner Mongolia. While everyone and their Grandma have borne witness to the wiles of that other Ford driver, Ken Block, it’s less likely you know about Mr. Gittin. Back in the early 2000s, just as professional drifting was taking root here in the U.S., Gittin was at the forefront, beating the Japanese invaders twice when D1GP came stateside. Since then, he’s consistently placed near the top in Formula D, earning his first championship title in 2010.

As the star of this video,->ke278 Gittin provides us the anticipated combination of big smoke and high-speed hijinks he’s known for. It’s the kind of RWD display you’d expect from a factory driver at the helm of one of America’s best performance vehicles. Set amongst the exotic background of the Far East, you almost forget you’re watching a car advertisement.

Click Continue Reading to learn more about the 2015 Ford Mustang.

2015 Ford Mustang

Setting its sights on the global market, Ford announced that the new 2015 Mustang would finally make its way to international markets as a right-hand-drive product for destinations like England, Japan, Australia, and China. While significantly more expensive in those places, the imported pony car would still bear all the right cues of RWD and high horsepower.

While the older generation involved a variety of retro design throwbacks, the sixth-gen is decidedly more modern, while still retaining the long hood and fastback roofline. The interior feels a bit more classic, with an old-school steering wheel and gearshift lever, as well as switches and buttons that take things back a few decades in a good way.

But the handling package is throughly modern, with an independent rear suspension and a new double-ball-joint MacPherson strut system up front. There’s also computer-controlled torque vectoring. All of this should help lend the new Mustang far more credibility when it comes to shucking those muscle-car prejudices on taking a corner.

There’s even innovation under the hood. Most folks will opt for the 5.0-liter V-8 that makes 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque for all the right sounds and tire-shredding low-end-grunt. However, to help broaden the car’s appeal, Ford threw in two other options, including a 3.7-liter V-6 with 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four cylinder with 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque.

It’s a vehicle made for more than burnouts and quarter-mile passes, although it will perform both those activities quite well. It’s got mass appeal as one of America’s most beloved cars, combining modern technology with classic charm. Purists can rant and whine all they want, because everyone else is too busy singing praise.