@ Santa Maria, CA
October 2023
P-51 Mustang racer “Bardahl Special” sits on the twilight tarmac after a weekend of static display at the 2023 Central Coast AirFest. Chuck Lyford flew this Bardahl-sponsored P-51D in the 1964 Harold’s Club Transcontinental Trophy Dash from St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL to Reno, NV. After leading the entire race, a series of events at the end forced a second-place finish out of the eight P-51s that started. This race-modded Mustang (clipped wings, modified belly scoop, and 3,000HP V-12 Merlin) now wears new white paint that replaced a previous vinyl wrap. More than 8100 of the D-model were produced, contributing to the total of 15,000 Mustangs built for the war. After World War II, the P-51 Mustang served in the air forces of over 55 countries.
