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| Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company |
One of many returning traditions in 2021 is the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a celebration of the past, present and future of aviation going beyond many air shows. This exhibition running from July 26 to August 1st provides something for everyone enamoured by creations that draws humanity airborne. Displays of vintage warplanes, ultra-light and home-built flying machines, air demonstrations, radio-controlled aircraft, aviation-related exhibitors as well as various workshops are part of this massive gathering insuring lots of fun and entertainment throughout the event.
On Thursday, July 29th the festivities in Oshkosh will include an auction for a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery by the Ford Motor Company. Although a four-wheeled automobile limited to traversing land, a very special Ford Mustang Mach-E is crafted as a high-flying tribute to brave pilots.
Created specifically for the EAA AirVenture auction to benefit initiatives and programs to promote careers in aviation for young women and other deserving youths, the custom 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium is painted and styled as a moving tribute to the United States’ Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). During the Second World War, 1,830 volunteer female aviators were accepted into WASP tasked with ferrying and testing aircraft as well as training pilots.
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| Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company |
The 346-horsepower 2021 Mustang Mach-E features an Iconic Silver, matte Shadow Black exterior colour scheme accented by Bold Yellow and Oxford White striping. This colour combination is accompanied by the U.S. Army Air Forces Star on the rear passenger doors as well as the WASP badge placed on the all-electric crossover vehicle’s rear quarter panels. No. 38 badges placed on the front fascia and rear bumper on the outside of the special Mustang Mach-E as well as within the interior’s center console symbolizes the 38 volunteer pilots that died during the performance of their service for the United States war effort. The cabin also includes generous Bold Yellow striping, headrests featuring stitched WASP wing logos as well as unique EAA AirVenture door sill plates.
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| Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company |
A longtime supporter of the EAA AirVenture, Ford had regularly donated a vehicle for auction as a fundraiser. With the name Mustang having such a strong tie to aviation with the Second World War fighter plane (the P-51 Mustang), it would be of little surprise that Ford would feature their pony car line prominently in past auctions. Past creations included the Apollo Edition in 2015, Eagle Squadron model in 2018 and the ‘Old Crow’ inspired Ford Mustang GT prepared in 2019. The 2021 auction is the first to feature Ford’s all-electric Mustang Mach-E variant. To date, Ford has donated 12 vehicles raising more than 4 million dollars U.S. for EAA-related initiatives.
Besides connections to the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Ford has an interesting involvement in the aviation industry. From 1926 to 1933, the Ford Trimotor aircraft was constructed as a successful design that served in commercial and military service. One of the 199 Trimotor aircrafts built (a Trimotor 5-AT-B variant) is slated to be part of the 2021 EAA AirVenture with spectators able to pay $77 U.S. to fly in the remarkable flying machine. The auto company’s contributions during the World War Two included the production of the B-24 Liberator bomber in Willow Run, Michigan where employees churned out 6,972 examples by the time the armed conflict ended. Ford’s contribution to the skies also reached into the jet age as the company produced variants of Pratt & Whitney’s J57 engine that would be promoted for supplying propulsion to the North American F100 Super Sabre.
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