If Ford’s going to sell its brand of go-fast around the world, it has to think globally. That’s why it combined the Special Vehicle Team, Team RS from its European division, and the international Ford Racing enterprise into a one-stop shop for speed: Ford Performance.
That powerhouse is going to roll out 12 models, including the next GT, the 2017 Raptor, the Focus ST and RS, and the Mustang Shelby GT 350 and GT 350R brothers, by 2020. Dave Pericak, head of Ford Performance, said his division will use the racetrack as its laboratory and testing ground.
In doing so, Ford hopes to change its image as whole – to stop being seen as a commodity. Jim Farley, the head of Ford of Europe, said, “Performance is a more complete idea.” The Blue Oval seems to have the right idea when it comes to focusing on track-bred vehicles. It stated that the market for performance models, such as hotted-up hatchbacks and extreme trucks, has expanded by 70 percent in the U.S. and 14 percent in Europe since 2009.
One such offering, the Focus RS, will, according to Raj Nair, Ford’s global product development chief, surprise global buyers with its sophisticated torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system, cornering prowess, tractive ability, and every-day usability. (Stay tuned for more about it.) Its 315+ hp 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 and AWD setup will find their ways into future Ford vehicles.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
