Ten very special 530 kW Ford Mustangs will put a special Spitfire back in the sky
The last remaining Spitfire warplane in South Africa is a step closer to its first flight in over twenty years thanks to this unique Ford Mustang.
TIME TO REBUILD AN ICON
Spawned in a collaboration between Vaughn Gittin’s authentic RTR Vehicles, the Ford Performance Centre, the South African Air Force Museum, and the Friends of the SAAF, the Mustang is the first of ten such RTR Spec 5 wide body car, each of which will be based on an interpretation of a different famous South African aircraft livery. Each car sold will also contribute a donation of R75 000 towards the restoration of the iconic Spitfire
The first of the Mustangs was handed over to its delighted new owners at the Swartkops air base this week. That’s where Spitfire 5518 crashed during an air show in 2000. The sale of the Mustang has now enabled the construction of a new hangar large enough to accommodate the full-sized rig required for the Spitfire’s restoration. The rig is too large to fit in any of the Museum’s existing hangars.
The Mustang immortalises RAF 208 Squadron Colonel Bob Rogers’ exploits flying Spitfires in combat. South African Rogers earned a Distinguished Service Order and a Distinguished Flying Cross among his many Wartime commendations, before an incredible career that culminated as Chief of the South African Air Force. He went on to serve as a Member of Parliament.
SPITFIRE MK.IX HAS A1280 KILOWATT V12
Most famous for its exploits in the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire was the ultimate World War 2 fighter. Powered by a 1280kW Merlin 66 V12, it was also the fastest at 650 km/h. The Spitfire’s elliptical wing design gave it unbeatable manoeuvrability too, although this particular MkIX aircraft has squared wingtips and was last depicted as another famous SAAF airframe, 5553 and designated as AX-K.
This first hand-painted supercharged Mustang mimics the Spitfire 5518 in its original DB-H designation, as flown by Rogers and other heroes of the SAAF Great War effort.
Upgraded by Performance Centre in Centurion, one each of these ten 530 kW 5-litre supercharged dual high-pressure direct and low-pressure port fuel injected V8 Ford Mustangs, is comprehensively modified. Each will also gain Brembo 6-piston aluminium fixed front and 4-piston aluminium rear brake calipers clamping cross-drilled rotors behind Vaughn Gittin Jr. design RTR Aero 7 alloys and 4-way manual Recaro leather seats.
THESE MUSTANGS ARE CERTAIN TO GAIN VALUE
With each car hand painted to depict a different piece of significant South African Air Force History, the ten Ford Performance Mustang Spitfire GTs are certain to escalate in value off their R2.5-million asking price.
