Each year, Ford Motor Company donates a specially outfitted Ford Mustang to be auctioned off at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture event in Wisconsin, but for 2017, the automaker has contributed a new F150 Raptor featuring design cues from an F22 Raptor fight plane.
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Back in 2008, Ford Motor Company built the Mustang AV8R for the EAA AirVenture program, which was designed with cues from the F-22 Raptor fight plane. That specially built Mustang introduced the glass roof treatment which would eventually become a production feature, but more importantly, that first Ford AirVenture auction car raised $500,000 for the program.
Since then, Ford has built a unique Mustang for the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture program each year, with each customized muscle car featuring design cues from historic military aircraft. This program continues for the upcoming 2017 Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, but for the first time, the Motor Company has built a unique F150 rather than a Mustang.
The F-22 Raptor F150
The first Ford Mustang built for the AirVenture auction was inspired by the F-22 Raptor fight plane and it comes as no surprise that the first Ford F150 built for the event is also inspired by the F-22 Raptor – and it is, of course, based on the new F150 Raptor.
On the outside, the F-22 Raptor F150 features a unique paint scheme with colors borrowed from the old F-22 fight planes, a spread of lights across the top of the windshield, unique wheels wrapped in huge offroad tires, unique mirror lights similar to those found on a plane’s wings, F-22 graphics, a unique grille and a unique tailgate panel with the F-22 logo. Finally, there is an extra set of tires mounted in the bed, similar to an offroad race truck setup.
The exterior design package of the F-22 Raptor F150 leaves no question that this is a unique pickup, but Ford didn’t stop at appearance upgrades.
First, the F-22 Raptor F150 has a larger intercooler and an engine tune which lifts the output to 545 horsepower. Next, a high performance suspension setup adds more ground clearance (while allowing plenty of space for those big tires) and a performance braking system allow this customized F150 Raptor to handle the roughest terrain without breaking a sweat.
Over the past 9 years, the Ford vehicles have raised millions of dollars for the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture education program, with the Ole Yeller Ford Mustang at the 2016 event raising $295,000. We can expect that this unique Raptor will easily bring six figures when the event opens later this month.
Here is a list of the previous Ford Mustang’s which were auctioned off for the EAA:
2008 – Mustang AV8R, with cues from F-22 Raptor, which helped introduce the glass-roof canopy and delivered an auction contribution of $500,000
2009 – AV-X10 “Dearborn Doll” Mustang, crafted in honor of the World War II aircraft
2010 – Two automotive icons – the late Carroll Shelby, former U.S. Air Force flight instructor, and Jack Roush, longtime P-51 pilot – collaborated for the first time to create the SR-71 Blackbird Mustang inspired by the legendary reconnaissance jet
2011 – Blue Angels Mustang, created to celebrate 100 years of U.S. naval aviation
2012 – Red Tails Mustang, to pay homage to Tuskegee Airmen – courageous squadron of P-51 Mustang pilots who were the United States’ first African-American military airmen
2013 – U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Edition Mustang, built to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team
2014 – F-35 Lightning II Edition Mustang, which featured design cues from the world’s most advanced multirole fighter jet – the F-35 Lightning
2015 – Apollo Edition Mustang paid homage to the Apollo spaceflight program, which delivered astonishing innovations in technology and landed the first human on the moon.
2016 – Ole Yeller Mustang honors two aviation greats, the iconic P-51D Mustang fighter plane and highly decorated fighter pilot Bob Hoover
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