UPDATE 12/11/14: The new performance division is officially named Ford Performance.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350? It appears to merely be the tip of the spear for Ford, which may well have a performance onslaught waiting in the wings, ready to steal the limelight at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. That's why you got the new "Super Mustang" in LA. Bigger plans are evidently afoot for January. Let's run down what we've heard.
Shelby GT350R
This one's basically a lock. As good as you think the Shelby GT350 sounds, the best is yet to come. The 350R will be the Laguna Seca to the 350's Boss 302. Look for the 350R to, at minimum, get better aero, better brakes, and better rubber. If the Laguna Seca was any indication, expect the back seat to get the boot as well, with additional bracing likely. The Shelby 350R will be the car that Ford puts up as the answer to the Camaro Z/28, regardless of how good the standard GT350 may already be.
F-150 Raptor
Our sources say the next-gen dune-slayer is also Motown-bound, but additional details are scarce. Its appearance would make sense, however, given the larger story at play. Read on.
Ford GT
A replacement for the Ford GT will likely be the big headliner at Detroit. As we've previously reported, several indicators on the racing side suggest Ford is preparing a Le Mans GTE-class car for 2016, the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40's first Le Mans overall win in 1966. A road-car counterpart would go with that, and Detroit is the logical place to announce everything. If this all comes together as we've heard, it will be the story of the Detroit show, period.
New Halo Brand: Ford Performance
All of the above would fit under a newly-created Ford performance umbrella that would act as the company's M or AMG. Ford has confirmed the name to be Ford Performance, and it will unify SVT, Team RS and Ford Racing under a single global umbrella. .
Focus RS
We all know it's coming, but the matter of where it'll debut is the subject of conflicting reports. We hear it's not going to bow until a European show, likely Geneva, which makes sense since the RS has historically been a Euro-market vehicle (even though we hear a US version is finally in the cards). If all the above goes down in the D, well, Ford needs to save something for Geneva. The guys at Car and Driver, however, hear it's Detroit-bound.
Focus ST and Fiesta ST
The Focus ST would simply be the US debut of the facelifted, revised car that was unveiled at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The guys at Car and Driver hear a Fiesta ST update may be announced as well, a topic on which our sources are mum. That's the fun, though, seeing which scuttlebutt comes true.
Long story short, the 2015 Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be an enthusiast's carnival, and that's just the Ford story. We didn't even touch on the probable debut of the production Acura NSX, the new Camaro, the Cadillac CTS-V, etc. Stay tuned.
