Ford may stun us with supercars at the Detroit Auto Show

By Alexander Kalogianni December 2, 2014

Ford Mustang GT350 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are enough rumors of what Ford has lined up for next month’s Detroit Auto Show to get the mouths of gearheads across the country salivating.

Road & Track reports that the blue oval is ready to reveal a host of performance-oriented additions to its lineup at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in late January, including a successor to the Ford GT, a wildly popular tribute to its Le Mans racer, the Ferrari-fighting GT40.

And a new GT makes sense. We’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s first victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Accordingly, there’s already chatter that the brand may return to endurance racing with a brand new GTE-spec vehicle, one that would warrant a street legal variant, … and we may not have to wait long at all to see it.

2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

But wait; there’s more.

If a new Ford supercar weren’t enough, the Mustang GT350 might get even crazier in Detroit. Only having just been revealed, rumors suggest the latest super pony car might be offered in a new race variant: The GT350R. Much like the Boss 302 Laguna Seca, the GT350R will predictably take the 500 horsepower and other improvements the GT350 promises, and build upon them with a fiercer aero package and stripping out the creature comforts.

If the Boss 302 was last gen’s store-bought race car, then the F-150 Raptor was certainly Ford’s buyable monster truck desert racer. The successful sport variant of the F-150 pickup is mentioned amongst the R&T rumors as also starting a new generation, which can only mean there will be more Dukes of Hazzard-style truck jumping to look forward to.

All these rumors seem to add up to the conclusion that Ford is ramping up to announce their own performance sub brand, much like the Mercedes-AMG division or BMW’s M branch. This will give Ford a chance to unify all its performance vehicles, giving us an easier time to keep track of their STs RSs and SVTs.

Nothing is set in stone just yet, but if these rumors turn out to be true, then American muscle fans just got themselves a second Christmas.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Detroit Auto Show

Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

Cars

Superwagons, EVs, and autonomous 4x4s wowed us at the Frankfurt Auto Show

2019 frankfurt auto show highlights from audi hyundai land rover porsche dt aitrail concept

Held biennially, the Frankfurt Auto Show is the biggest event of its kind in the automotive world -- literally. The town-sized convention center it takes place in consists of numerous buildings spread hundreds of yards apart. Its importance in the car world is equally immense. It's where automakers from all over the spectrum convene to display their wildest designs, their most advanced electric cars, and their quickest performance models.

This year's edition of the show didn't disappoint. Audi introduced two new models with supercar-like performance, as well as a futuristic prototype that off-roads autonomously, and uses a drone to light up the trail. Land Rover finally resurrected the Defender -- and it looks like it was worth the wait. Volkswagen showed the tip of its electric car iceberg, and Lamborghini entered the hybrid segment. Hyundai also sent a heritage-laced concept car fresh out of its design center.

Cars

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 thunders into the muscle car ring with 760 hp

2020 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

Despite so much talk of electric cars and autonomous driving, you can still buy a 797-horsepower Dodge Challenger or a 650-hp Chevrolet Camaro. But the rival Ford Mustang has stayed out of the horsepower wars -- until now. Unleashed at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, and reviving one of the greatest names in muscle car history, the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 roars into the muscle car arena with 760 hp and 625 pound-feet of torque between its fenders.

760 hp; that's 380 hp per seat. It's over six times the output of the Fiesta, Ford's entry-level model. The latest Shelby GT500 is the most powerful production Mustang ever, and the most powerful street-legal car it has ever produced. It even beats the ultra-exclusive, Le Mans-winning GT.

Cars

From rugged wagons to hot sports cars, the 2019 NY Auto Show brought it all

2020 Subaru Outback

Every year, New York City hosts the closing act of the auto show season. Unlike similar events held in Geneva or Detroit, the New York Auto Show doesn't have a reputation that's engraved in stone. Anything goes in the Big Apple, and the 2019 edition of the event wowed show-goers with an impressive selection of new production models and concept cars ranging from rugged, go-anywhere station wagons to alluring, limited-edition sports car. Muscle cars, electric cars, and trucks were there, too.

If you missed any of the debuts, we've compiled a list of the most significant cars introduced under the bright lights of the Javits Center in Manhattan. And while auto show season is over until the fall, the next few months are jam-packed with smaller events all over the globe during which car and tech companies will show off their newest, coolest, and most advanced products. We hope you'll join us for the ride.
2020 Cadillac CT5