Ford creates ‘Eagle Squadron’ Mustang

Ford, while seemingly not the ideal fit for such an event, has been involved with AirVenture for the past two decades, particularly the EAA Young Eagles programme, which supports budding pilots and future members of the aviation industry. Since 2008, Ford has also created a one-off vehicle to auction as a fundraiser for the Young Eagles at AirVenture’s ‘Gathering of Eagles’ dinner.

Raising more than US$3 million to date, all of these one-offs have been created with some sort of aviation or aerospace theme behind them. Past creations include tributes to the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds aerobatic teams, the ‘Tuskegee Airmen’ group of African American pilots from World War II, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spyplane, F35 Lightning II jet fighter, WWII P-51 Mustang and even the Apollo space programme.

All of these one-offs had been based on a Mustang until last year, when Ford broke with tradition and used an F-150 Raptor pickup, styled and trimmed in tribute to the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, as their giveaway vehicle. This year, Ford returned to a Mustang and used it as a special tribute to a somewhat unknown group of American airmen.

RAF Eagles. Before their entry into World War II at the end of 1941, the USA was a neutral country, but that didn’t stop a number of American citizens joining what was – to that point – a “European” war. Several of those were pilots who individually joined Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons throughout the UK, but it was the idea of American Charles Sweeney for these US-born fliers to be united in their own squadrons.

Despite the threat of losing their US citizenship (under American law, it was illegal for citizens to join the armed forces of foreign nations), many pilots made their way to France, then England to join the fight against Nazi Germany.

Financing the initiative himself, Sweeney had begun his recruitment drive immediately after the outbreak of war in September, 1939, but the RAF’s first squadron of all-American pilots – 71 Squadron - wouldn’t become operational until the thick of the Battle of Britain in September, 1940.

Known as the ‘Eagle Squadron’, 71 flew British aircraft (first Hurricanes, then Spitfires) and had British support staff, ground crews and even RAF uniforms, but had their own identifying badging, as did similar groups of pilots from Canada, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

In 1941, 71 Squadron would be joined by two more, with around 250 US pilots in total serving across the three Eagle Squadrons before they were absorbed in the USAAF in September, 1942. Of that total, 78 were killed while in service with the RAF, with a further 16 shot down and captured.

Eagles and Mustangs. Inspired by tales of the Eagle Squadrons, the team at Ford Performance chose that as the theme for this year’s EAA special. With 2018 also marking the centenary of the RAF, the idea dovetailed neatly with what was already being planned. A 2018 Mustang GT coupe was chosen as the base to build this year’s EAA car, with Ford calling on World Champion drifter and Mustang modifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his RTR Vehicles workshop to do the actual build.

“I was ecstatic when Ford approached my team at RTR Vehicles to collaborate with them on building a tribute to the Eagle Squadron,” said Gittin Jr. “Working on a project of this magnitude, that’s going to do so much for charity - and also honour some great men – it doesn’t get better than this.”

After the special features and things like paint and bespoke trim had been sorted out, the Mustang was sent to the RTR Vehicles workshop in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The build started with the addition of an RTR widebody kit: a bolt-on, carbon fibre flare set which is the most obvious bodywork change. Allied to this is an RTR Aero Package, comprising a front spoiler, lower grille diffuser, front turning vanes, rear diffuser add-ons and dive planes, as well as splitters on the lower sills and a Gurney lip on the Ford Performance Pack factory rear spoiler. An RTR Design Package brings cosmetic changes, including a modified front bumper and grille with integral lighting.

The widebody kit was necessary for the two-piece RTR Aero 7 forged alloy 20-inch wheels, which are shod with 285/30-ZR20 (front) and 305/30-ZR20 (rear) Nitto NT555 tyres. An RTR ‘Tactical Performance Suspension Package’ takes the Mustang’s optional Ford Performance lowering springs and MagneRide adjustable shocks and matches them with RTR adjustable sway bars.

Performance upgrades in the Eagle Squadron Mustang peaked with the addition of a Ford Performance Roush supercharger, which raises the 5.0-litre V8’s maximum power from 343kW to 521kW, with torque increased to a claimed 827Nm at 12psi boost. A Tremec 6-speed manual transmission, short shifter and upgraded, heavy-duty rear axle from Ford Performance complete the drivetrain modifications.

Spitfire Style. To achieve the look of a Supermarine Spitfire flown by the Eagle Squadron, the Mustang was resprayed in a camouflage paint scheme by TPM Colour Lab in Michigan, with the C1940 RAF look accented by a roundel on the bonnet and authentic aircraft-style identification on the flanks and spoiler.

Subtle touches on the exterior include yellow paint on the lower aero elements that mimic a similar touch applied to the leading edge of a Spitfire’s wings, while yellow mirror caps evoke the look of the propeller tips. The Eagle Squadron’s symbol of an eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows (itself a simplified version of the Great Seal of the United States) replaces the GT tail badge. It’s also reproduced on the front guards and features in much grander fashion on the car’s gloss black roof.

Inside, the Recaro front seats have been retrimmed in a combination of black Alcantara and distressed-look brown leather for that vintage feel, with the Eagle Squadron logo embroidered on the headrests and the rear-seat-delete replacement panel. Distressed leather has also been added to the door cards, while carbon fibre dash trim brings a modern look and feel, as does the top of the gear shifter, which used metal from a current F-35 Lightning II jet. The finishing touch is an identifying plaque on the dash, made from a piece of aluminium off an original Spitfire.

UK Debut. While created for the EAA AirVenture show, the Eagle Squadron Mustang actually made its public debut in the UK at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past July. At Goodwood, Gittin Jr. took it up the event’s hillclimb course, but not before a long, smoky burnout on the start line!

Prior to that debut, Gittin Jr. spent time comparing the Mustang’s performance with a genuine airworthy Spitfire at a UK airfield and also visited the famous white cliffs of Dover in the car. Airfreighted back to the US for the EAA AirVenture auction on 26 July, the Eagle Squadron Mustang raised just over US$400,000 (AU$505,100 approx.) for the Young Eagles programme.