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Cars > Transform

This Ford Mustang GT is pretty fly for a pony car

A 700hp one-off tribute to the UK’s Royal Air Force

You can’t accuse this coupe of being all-show-and-no-go. PHOTO FROM FORD

If you’re a vehicle manufacturer, the nice thing about having an iconic car in your stable is that it’s so easy to transform it into a one-off version and then auction it off for the benefit of some worthy cause. Which is exactly what Ford did with the Mustang.

With 700hp, this car deserves its Eagle Squadron livery. PHOTO FROM FORD

What you see here is called the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT, the American automaker’s tribute to the 100th anniversary of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. This car was auctioned at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture event, where the winning bidder (a lucky dude named Brayton Williams) snapped it up for $420,000 (P22,400,000). The money is said to have been earmarked for the organization’s youth education programs, “which encourage and support the next generation of pilots.”

The 5.0-liter V8 engine benefits from a supercharger kit. PHOTOS FROM FORD

Under the hood of this special Mustang is Ford’s 5.0-liter V8 engine made more robust by a supercharger kit that increases its output to 700hp and its torque to 827Nm. Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s RTR Vehicles, meanwhile, gave the car a “tactical performance suspension” package, which includes “adjustable MagneRide dampers, Ford Performance lowering springs and RTR adjustable sway bars.”

Expect fanboys to replicate this lovely livery in no time. PHOTOS FROM FORD

RTR Vehicles also installed carbon-fiber wide-bodykit with “a front chin spoiler, a rear diffuser, an upper grille with integrated lighting, and a Gurney lip added to the Performance Pack rear spoiler.” The 20-inch RTR Aero 7 two-piece forged wheels are shod with 285/30 front and 305/30 rear Nitto NT555 tires.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. has a right to take a selfie with the car. PHOTOS FROM FORD

There are no interior photos provided by Ford, but the company at least issued a description of the cockpit:

Inside, a custom leather interior features Recaro racing seats with embroidered Eagle Squadron logos. A hand-engraved shift knob made from metal melted down from an F-35 Lightning carries over the logo, and a one-of-one hand-engraved badge made from genuine Spitfire aluminum adorns the dashboard.

The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT is now ready for takeoff. PHOTOS FROM FORD

Cool cars are, well, cool. But they’re even more so when they serve an altruistic purpose. May the Mustang’s flag continue to fly ever so high.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist for 26 years. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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