Vaughn Gittin Jr. to Pilot a Ford Eagle Squadron Mustang GT at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The one-off Ford Performance creation will also visit August’s Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit.

byJerry Perez|
Vaughn Gittin Jr. to Pilot a Ford Eagle Squadron Mustang GT at Goodwood Festival of Speed
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Professional drifter and Formula D superstar Vaughn Gittin Jr. will manhandle a mean-looking Ford Mustang GT up the famous hill at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The one-off pony car is dubbed the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT, and it was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Britain's Royal Air Force.

The current-generation Mustang was modified with a wide body kit, custom Royal Air Force graphics, and then camouflaged to resemble an original Eagle Squadron Spitfire aircraft, which is known around the world for its agility and combat prowess. Despite flying under the British flag, the original Eagle Squadron was made up of American Air Force pilots who were stationed in England during WWII. The Mustang pays homage not only to the Royal Air Force, but also the brave Americans that fought within it. In fact, Gittin will be accompanied by Royal Air Force veteran Paul Miller, whose father “Dusty” served in Eagle Squadron in 1941 and 1942.

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Besides the obvious visual enhancements, there's also plenty of add-on oomph under the matte hood of the Mustang. For starters, a Ford Performance supercharger kit has been bolted onto the 5.0-liter V8, helping it make a whopping 700 horsepower, that's 240 more horsepower than stock. In addition, an RTR Tactical Performance Suspension Package with in-car adjustable MagneRide dampers and sway bars has been installed, and so have two-piece 20-inch wheels with 285/30-ZR20 front and 305/30-ZR20 rear Nitto NT555 high-performance tires.

Gittin Jr. will go down in history as one of the lucky few who have had the chance to pilot a machine at the world-famous festival, and although most racers carefully nail every apex on their way to the top, we can assume that he'll smash the throttle and burn rubber the entire way through. After all, that's what his legions of fans would expect. And speaking of fans, Ford will also tackle "the hill" with both the new and old Mustang Bullitt.

Ford plans on auctioning the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT July 26 to benefit the Experimental Aircraft Association’s youth aviation education programs.

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