Ford Unveils Race-Ready ‘Ole Yeller’ Mustang Bred From Shelby GT350

The ‘Ole Yeller’ Mustang pays homage to the iconic North American P-51D Mustang that used to serve as an official pace and safety plane during Air Races.

One of the reasons why Ford built this special edition Mustang is to benefit the Experimental Aircraft Association’s youth education programs, which includes the Young Eagles.

This car is set to be donated and sold by auction at the Gathering of Eagles charity event, marking the ninth straight year in which Ford has donated a car.

Among all the mods that set this GT350 apart are things like its custom yellow exterior finish, its ‘Ole Yeller’ accents and badging, custom Forgiato wheels, a massive rear wing, plus the carbon fiber components and mirrors that project images of the aircraft. Inside, it’s got specially designed Recaro seats, sill plates, personalized floor mats and aviation inspired gauges.

Performance-wise, it simply mirrors the regular GT350 with its 526 HP and 429 lb-ft (581 Nm) of torque, produced by the car’s 5.2-liter naturally aspirated Ti-VCT V8 engine.

“This year’s one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang honors two aviation greats, the iconic and historic P-51D Mustang fighter plane, and highly decorated fighter pilot, test pilot, and air show performer, Bob Hoover, who is referred to by many as one of the greatest pilots ever to have lived,” said Edsel B.Ford II, member of the Ford board of directors. “The Shelby GT350 Mustang, with its nimbleness, speed and aerodynamics, provided us with the perfect platform to create this tribute to the P-51D aircraft.”

For those who don’t know, ‘Ole Yeller’ remains one of the most recognizable P-51D Mustangs in the world as it still holds the prop plane record for coast-to-coast travel at 5 hours and 20 minutes, set in 1985.

“We’re truly grateful Ford is, and has been, such a committed sponsor of EAA and AirVenture for more than 16 years now,” added EAA CEO, Jack Pelton. “With its ninth Mustang donation, Ford has definitely delivered something exceptional that any auto or aviation enthusiast would love to own. The Ford “Ole Yeller” Mustang will allow EAA to provide support to our valuable programs helping us grow the next generation of aviators.”

The Ford ‘Ole Yeller’ Mustang will be on display all week in the Ford hanger at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 in Wisconsin, between July 25-31.