A New Ford Performance Car Is Coming In 2026

The last few years haven’t exactly been great for fans of fast Fords, with the demise of the Fiesta and Focus ST and the sad engine downsizing and loss of the manual gearbox in the Puma ST. There is, at least, still the Mustang, and next year, it’ll be joined by… something else.

Ford is lining up a season launch on 15 January for its 2026 motorsport activities, which have recently been rebranded under the reborn Ford Racing banner. That event, taking place in Detroit, will see the company displaying all its 2026 racing contenders, including entries in NASCAR, global sports car racing, the Dakar Rally and the Baja 1000.

Topping off the motorsport announcements will be our first look at Ford’s re-entry into Formula 1 after over 20 years absent, as part of a technical partnership with the two Red Bull-backed teams.

But the event will also play host to what Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook calls “an exclusive sneak peek at an all-new Ford Racing production road car – a testament to how deeply we’re integrating our racing innovation into the vehicles you drive every day.”

That’s quite literally all the information we have for now, leaving plenty of space for speculation. Various rumours of late have hinted at an ultra-high-performance off-roader, or even a jacked-up Raptor version of the Mustang, while an even more serious-looking version of the already serious Mustang GTD has been seen lapping the Nürburgring.

We don’t even know if the 15 January event will play host to a proper look at the car, or just a brief teaser. The announcement does at least hint that the mystery car will be marketed under the Ford Racing banner, which would make it the first model to wear the branding of the newly renamed performance and racing division. Thankfully, we don’t have long to wait to find out more.