Ford planning performance onslaught for Detroit

[dbk]

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/01/...f150-raptor-performance-brand-detroit-report/

According to a pair of reports from Hearst's car mags, Car and Driver and Road & Track, Ford has a whole mess of good stuff on deck for the Detroit Auto Show in January. And it all sounds awesome.

First, expect to see a hotter version of the Shelby GT350 in Detroit, likely called GT350R. Think of this as the already-hot Shelby with even more track-focused bits baked in – brakes, tires, aero, etc. Everything about the GT350 sounds great, so expect this R variant to be something seriously fierce. As R&T suggests, if the GT350 is the company's new Boss 302, the R is the Laguna Seca.

But that's not even close to the biggest news. Road & Track believes a proper Ford GT replacement will debut in Detroit – a road-going version of the Le Mans GTE-class car the Blue Oval is working on for 2016. We've heard about this before, but having the street-legal car debut in Detroit would be absolutely huge news.

The performance story continues, though, with R&T suggesting that the next-gen Ford F-150 Raptor will bow in Detroit. Details are scarce about what, exactly, the aluminum-bodied desert stormer will hold, but we expect good things.

Finally, Ford's hot hatches might make some news in the Motor City, too. Car and Driver seems to think the all-wheel-drive Focus RS will bow in The D, and that an updated version of the Fiesta ST will also show its face. Road & Track, meanwhile, believes the Focus RS showing will be saved for a European auto show – think Geneva – and our gut feeling is to agree with the R&T theory.

All of these rumors point to Ford officially announcing its dedicated performance division – like Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, and so on. We've heard reports of a new, global performance brand from the company already, with the name 999 thrown out as a possibility. In any case, if these rumblings prove to be true, there's going to be a ton to drool over from Ford in January. Stay tuned.

:willy

:rofl

 

[djs]

Hubba hubba.

 

[Cobrar]

If this turns out to be a bunch of graphics packages, then the charity preview tix are on you this year. ;-))

 

[KJRGT]

Wow, wow, wow. :eek

 

[ROCK]

Not even a tease on the new GT ? Oh boy, Ford's been quiet on this one.


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[bonehead]

Pretty exciting if even only half of that is true.

 

[B.M.F.]

Not even a tease on the new GT ? Oh boy, Ford's been quiet on this one.


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I know someone who has seen pics. January can not come soon enough!

 

[ROCK]

Do tell, what does it look like ?


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[Ed Sims]

We have a small gathering of GT owners Feb 20-22 in Chicago for the auto show. The show is Feb 13 to Feb 22 I believe. It's a huge show. The Chicago show is the oldest running auto show in the US as the beginning of the auto industry was in Chicago then shifted to Detroit. We will go to the show on Sat Feb 21. Dr Frank is always our organizer for meals, hotels, etc. Anyone is welcome to join us.

Ed

 

[2112]

Not liking 999. IMO, we need to go back to SVO which was the original name.

 

[dbk]

Not liking 999.

There is absolutely no truth to that.

 

[2112]

There is absolutely no truth to that.

I assume that applies to the entire piece?

 

[dbk]

I assume that applies to the entire piece?

Mixed bag, which shouldn't be surprising because they practically included all potential variants of all Ford cars in production right now. :lol

 

[Sinovac]

Great news even if only half of it is true. I think it's time for Ford to adopt the "Total Performance" promo again.

 

[Cobrar]

Great news even if only half of it is true. I think it's time for Ford to adopt the "Total Performance" promo again.

Forward thinking ?? As Ford may have gone-to-market 2-3 years ago, Total Performance might have been defined to be affordable electric powered mass transportation.

 

[Cobrar]

There is absolutely no truth to that.

And that's a good thing. Imagine your buddy Ken Block flips his rally car upside down, and the press snaps a picture of trusty old 666.

 

[Specracer]

Now that's funny....

 

[bonehead]

Pretty exciting if even only half of that is true.

Great news even if only half of it is true.

Real original, Counselor.

 

[Sinovac]

Real original, Counselor.

Don't have nightmares mulling over the fact we think alike.