One-Of-A-Kind 2012 Muscle Car Brings Some Muscle To EAA Youth Programs

A one-of-a-kind “Blue Angels” edition 2012 Ford Mustang GT  sold for $400,000 at the Gathering of Eagles charity auction Thursday evening. The auction took place during the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, the world’s greatest aviation celebration. A man from California purchased the vehicle. All proceeds from the car donation and sale will benefit the EAA Young Eagles organization, which has provided free introductory flights to more than 1.6 million young people since 1992 while also teaching the value of hard work, personal responsibility and enhanced math and science skills.

The “Blue Angels” edition joins three other one-of-a-kind Mustangs created by the Ford design and engineering teams for the EAA Young Eagles Auction in recent years, each generating excitement among aviation and automotive enthusiasts alike. Since 2006, Ford vehicles sold at EAA AirVenture auction events have collectively raised more than $1.7 million to support Young Eagles.
 
“The precision, discipline and excitement that define the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels flight team are qualities we celebrate at Ford,” said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of Ford’s board of directors. “With this year’s beautiful ‘Blue Angels’ edition Mustang GT, we’ve captured those qualities and paired them with the innovation Ford design and engineering team members build into all of our vehicles. Through this project, we take great pride in continuing our support for EAA and the Young Eagles organization.”
 
The Ford “Blue Angels” Mustang pays tribute to 100 years of naval aviation, celebrated all week at AirVenture 2011 as part of the show’s Tier 1 event status from the U.S. Navy tied to its yearlong Centennial of Naval Aviation festivities.
 
The Young Eagles Auction is part of the EAA Gathering of Eagles at the EAA AirVenture Museum. The Gathering of Eagles annually draws more than 1,000 aviation enthusiasts in support of Young Eagles and other EAA programs that inspire young people to become engineers, aviators, astronauts, scientists and innovators – the aviation pioneers of tomorrow.
 
“Ford is a longtime supporter of EAA and our mission to showcase the finest innovation and technology in flight,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA and AirVenture chairman. “The high interest among aviators in the U.S. Navy and the ‘Blue Angels’ Mustang team made this a very sought-after item, ensuring EAA’s ability to do some amazing things for our future aviation enthusiasts.”

FMI: www.AirVenture.org