Vaughn Gittin Jr to Pilot EAA Military Tribute Mustang GT at Goodwood

Starting back in 2008, Ford Motor Company has produced a unique, aircraft-themed vehicle to be auctioned off for the Young Eagles charity at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In the previous ten years, the company has donated nine custom Mustangs and a custom F-150 Raptor, all of which have worked together to raise more than $3,000,000 for the group. These vehicles feature a custom exterior and a long list of performance upgrades, so in addition to helping a good cause, the bidders are competing for a one-of-a-kind, high performance car or truck.

For the 2018 EAA AirVenture event, Ford Performance has teamed up with Vaughn Gittin Jr and his brand RTR Vehicles to create the most unique and highest performance aircraft-themed charity car yet and it is named the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT.

“Supporting young pilots through the EAA charity auction reflects Ford’s aviation history, tracing back to the company’s early days and the Arsenal of Democracy during WWII,” said Darrell Behmer, Ford Mustang design chief. “The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT build with Vaughn and the Ford design team is a great way to honor our heroes and keep the spirit of aviation alive for the next generation of American pilots.”

The Mod List
On the outside, the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT has a carbon fiber widebody kit from RTR Vehicles with an eye-catching livery that pays tribute to the American fighter pilots who served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. We only have the one picture shown above right now, but we can bet that this muscle car looks like a fighter plane from every angle.

To help this pony fly, Ford installed a supercharger package that lifts the engine output to 700 horsepower while a suspension package from Tactical Performance improves handling while also giving the car a menacing stance.

There are no details on the interior or the rest of the car, but if I had to guess, I expect that this car has some custom wheels with high performance tires, a set of high performance brakes and at least some interior upgrades.

Finally, in addition to getting this cool Mustang GT, the winner of the charity auction also gets an all-expenses paid trip for two to the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, where the car will be presented.

Stop in Goodwood
Since this car is built to honor American soldiers supporting Great Britain in World War II, drift champ Vaughn Gittin Jr will debut the car at the Goodwood Hill Climb on July 12th. Goodwood draws some of the most incredible performance cars in the world, with well-known drivers working to see how quickly they can cover Lord March’s driveway.

The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT will fit right in amongst the other high performance machines before heading to Detroit for its delivery to the new owner.

Here is a list of all of the custom vehicles created by Ford to help raise money for the Experimental Aircraft Association over the past decade:
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 Shelby GT350 paid homage to the historic P-51D Mustang fighter plane and highly decorated fighter pilot Bob Hoover
2017 – F22 Raptor was designed to celebrate the Lockheed F-22 Raptor fighter