Hi I wondered if anyone has a photo of one of the Ford Mustangs that toured Vietnam and was on the U.S. aircraft carriers as part of the car companies promotions with the USO. If you have a photo you could share or a personal story about seeing one of these while in service I would really appreciate it.
All I have found so far on the internet is a bit on Al Eckstrand touring with a 1969 429 Boss as part of a USO tour. From what I have been told it was 1969-1970 when the cars toured the aircraft carriers and the land bases but if someone can clarify who was there it would be much appreciated.
http://justacarguy.blogspot.ca/2010/12/lawman-boss-429-mustang-that-al.html
By: antoni - 23rd October 2012 at 15:47
Try the MustangMustang forums that encompass both car and plane.
By: beurling - 23rd October 2012 at 14:04
Those are great please if anyone has more photos or stories related please post.
Is the car being loaded on to the Coral Sea the one that was written off by the container do you know?
By: Mike J - 23rd October 2012 at 07:41
Going off-topic here, but wasn’t Donald Day reputed to have transported his ERA on an aircraft carrier when he was in the Fleet Air Arm, offloading it to race at port stops in the Far East? I believe he still owns it, in spite of a nasty accident that cost him an arm in a VSCC meeting at Silverstone in the 1990s.
By: AlphaChi1989 - 23rd October 2012 at 07:10
In 1970, lawyer and drag racer Al Eckstrand put together a Lawman Racing Team, consisting of two 780hp Boss 429 Mustang drag cars
and six 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1s, to tour U.S. military facilities around the world. It was during the Vietnam War, and servicemen were happy to see some of the musclecars from back home.
Two Lawman Boss 429s were built, one for Eckstrand demonstrations in Southeast Asia and the other for use as a show car in Europe.
The first car was destroyed at sea when an 8-ton ship container fell on it
(possibly the USS Coral Sea, ID 43).
So, Eckstrand hastily finished the second car, which was flown by Air Force transport to the south Pacific.
Over the next three years, the Lawman United States Performance Team performed demonstrations to an audience of over 240,000 servicemen.
In 1999, Eckstrand reacquired the Lawman Boss 429 from Sam Eidy, who had purchased the car and maintained it as a tribute to Eckstrand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Coral_Sea_(CV-43))
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/featuredvehicles/mump_0811_1970_mustang_boss_429_lawman/viewall.html
By: Bager1968 - 23rd October 2012 at 06:58
I know a guy who was on USS BonHomme Richard CVA-31 in that era… I’ll ask him.
Sign In
October 23, 2012 at 5:18 am