Sherminator98 Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 https://fordauthority.com/2026/10/ford-will-return-to-fia-world-rally-championship-with-factory-team-in-2028/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said: https://fordauthority.com/2026/10/ford-will-return-to-fia-world-rally-championship-with-factory-team-in-2028/ Can't wait for a normal vehicle with "rally-inspired" lights that we're supposed to be excited about... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherminator98 Posted October 1 Author Share Posted October 1 3 minutes ago, rmc523 said: Can't wait for a normal vehicle with "rally-inspired" lights that we're supposed to be excited about... That will be a rebadged Geely or Renault lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherminator98 Posted October 1 Author Share Posted October 1 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd8zs9oToSc/?stkn=Zm8wczR3bXRsemdw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherminator98 Posted October 1 Author Share Posted October 1 https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/jim-baumbick-ford-returns-to-wrc Quote We are returning because the rally stage is where our promise of building rally-bred passenger cars becomes reality. Our aim is to bring that unapologetic sense of response and control directly from the dirt to your driveway. So does that we will see them in the North American market too? Just had another thought-I've been reading about changes to WRC in the next few years, one of them being making easier for privateer style teams to run cars and generally cheaper to compete in races. I also wonder if they are planning on doing a possible "group B" like they did in the 1980s, where you had super wild vehicles for the time (Ford RS200 for example), which would make a compelling reason for Ford to come out with a Mustang Baja/Raptor etc to compete in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 9 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said: https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/jim-baumbick-ford-returns-to-wrc So does that we will see them in the North American market too? Just had another thought-I've been reading about changes to WRC in the next few years, one of them being making easier for privateer style teams to run cars and generally cheaper to compete in races. I also wonder if they are planning on doing a possible "group B" like they did in the 1980s, where you had super wild vehicles for the time (Ford RS200 for example), which would make a compelling reason for Ford to come out with a Mustang Baja/Raptor etc to compete in it. It'd be nice for the market to see them come over.....but if they're just rebodied Renaults and especially Geelys (China), I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, rmc523 said: Can't wait for a normal vehicle with "rally-inspired" lights that we're supposed to be excited about... 1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said: That will be a rebadged Geely or Renault lol I understand the cynicism, but let's just see where it goes. If nothing else, it's a kickass idea if they really commit to it. Farley in his interview with top gear said they didn't just want this to be a case of great steering and handling for a fiesta, but the car was still a base fiesta. So it sounds like whatever they're cooking up might push the envelope a little further than what we saw with things like the fiesta st. Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 8 minutes ago, rmc523 said: It'd be nice for the market to see them come over.....but if they're just rebodied Renaults and especially Geelys (China), I doubt it. The exact vehicles might not come to the US, but the strategy might. The skunkworks facility was working on some sort of hot hatch with a rally racing old escort in the corner for inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 WRC has 5 different level. The most competitive one is Group 2 which requires production car body shell and there are teams still using Fiesta in this level. Group 1 is NASCAR style tube chassis with look alike fiberglass body. Group 2 is production body shell and 4WD with turbo up to 1.6 liter. Group 3 is same as Group 2 but with either naturally aspirated engine up to 1.6 liter or turbo up to 1.1 liter. Group 4 and 5 is 2WD version of Group 2 and 3. Unclear what the announcement mean if Ford is returning to Group 1 or some other level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 2 hours ago, DeluxeStang said: The exact vehicles might not come to the US, but the strategy might. The skunkworks facility was working on some sort of hot hatch with a rally racing old escort in the corner for inspiration. The strategy of rebodying another company's vehicle? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 4 hours ago, rmc523 said: The strategy of rebodying another company's vehicle? Ya cheeky little bugga 😆. Nah I mean the rally racing applies to passenger cars strategy. The icons strategy is really solid, but I think Ford is realizing they need to look at icons that go just beyond bronco, mustang, raptor, and trucks. Those are super solid pillars, but there's room to grow behind that. If you're looking at how to make your passenger cars special without branding everything a mustang or bronco, leaning into your established rally racing heritage for additional credability and inspiration is a smart place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 4 hours ago, rmc523 said: The strategy of rebodying another company's vehicle? We're in agreement that it all comes down to execution. If it just ends up being a jelly bean with rally lights and FWD, I'm gonna be disappointed. But if this new hatchback, likely a fiesta revival, has the boxy retro fun styling that the reno 5 has, maybe a throwback to the gen 1 boxy fiesta, with sporty lines, wheel arches, decent power for the size, and really fun handling, I'll be all over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted Friday at 01:30 PM Share Posted Friday at 01:30 PM We'll see how they do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted Friday at 03:38 PM Share Posted Friday at 03:38 PM 2 hours ago, rmc523 said: We'll see how they do it! It'll probably be some half-assed BS in the end, but I wanna believe lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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