We’re just a few weeks away form the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Rumors are swirling that, for  fans of Ford Performance vehicles, this will be the biggest year in quite some time.

We recently brought you news of the latest version of Ford’s Focus RS coming stateside sometime very soon, with a little over 300 hp under the hood and all wheel drive. We’ve also covered Ford’s GT350 extensively, and we’ve offered our own insight and speculation into that car as well.

A short time ago, Ford also released information that they were going to be releasing multiple new performance oriented vehicles, globally, over the next five years. We decided to come up with a wish list for what we’d like to see in Detroit, and what we’d like to see debut in the very near future.

Detroit

GT350R
This car is a must. Ford needs a top end Mustang, and it’s been too long since we’ve even had a Cobra R to prowl the streets and tracks. Our hope is that the GT350R is outfitted in a carbon fiber tuxedo to shed more weight, carries a bump in horsepower of at least 50 over the standard GT350, and maybe carries some other cool new tech, and features with it as well.

Raptor
Rumors are swirling like tumbleweeds caught in a cyclone that a new edition of the F-150 Raptor will be making its debut in Detroit. The 6.2 liter V8 is gone, we expect the new Raptor to be powered by the Mustang’s 5.0, or even the 3.5 EcoBoost. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it wear a factory supercharger under the hood. Another possible engine candidate, the 5.8 from the now gone GT500. Why not throw a blown 662 hp mill under the hood and create a real desert runner?

Supercar
We keep reading and hearing varied rumors of a Ford supercar, the successor of the GT. We’ve seen speculation that it will be a new version of this car, and just the opposite, that the car will be something completely new. We heard rumblings over the summer of Ford reviving the 999 name, possibly to take the place of SVT, and other performance divisions, we now know that’s not the case. Could it be that the new supercar will be called 999, in homage to Henry’s original racer? Or could this new car take another name, such as Cobra, Daytona, or any number of other heritage titles? What’s more, will this be powered by the flat plane crank version of the 5.2 that is going in the GT350, a hopped up or new EcoBoost engine, or something completely unique to it? Only time will tell.

Will it look like the GT? If not could it be called the 999 this time?

Wish List

We have a huge wish list and could probably dream all day of the car’s we’d like to see Ford work their magic on over the next few years. Let’s talk about a few possible new performance variants that would spice up the Blue Oval’s line up.

Fusion ST
We think the Fusion is a prime candidate for some performance work. Start by adding the Mustang and Focus RS’s 300-plus horsepower engine, tweak the suspension, and add better brakes. Finish it off with unique wheels and body treatment. A ST variant would fit nicely in the Fusion lineup, and if properly tuned by Ford Performance, could be a legitimate player in the mid-size sports sedan segment.

Lightning
The Lightning platform has now been dead for a decade. We’d like to see this badge come back. A blown 5.0, or a hopped up EcoBoost, with a short bed, regular cab, two wheel drive configuration, would be great. We also think Ford Performance should work hard on the chassis, making sure this truck isn’t soft.

Mach 1
We’ve talked at length about this before. Offer the Mach 1 as a more straight-line oriented package, with a few upgrades from the Ford Performance catalog, and a little more power than the Mustang GT. It’s an alternative for Drag Race fans, and a cool play on the Mustang’s heritage.

Fiesta RS
If the Focus can get the RS treatment, why not the Fiesta? We realize the two might play on the intended markets of each, but its fun to think about. Take the Focus ST’s 250 hp mill, drop it in the Fiesta, add all wheel drive, and boom, Fiesta RS. We’d also like to see it done in the two door version that wasn’t offered here in the USA.

Cobra Jet

Could the next Cobra Jet be a twin turbo Coyote?

It will soon be time to see what an all new Cobra Jet has under the hood, and how Ford Performance pulls off the program with the all new S550 chassis. We’ll be curious to find out what this drag strip dominating beast can do, and hopefully we’ll see some testing this spring of the prototypes.

So there you have it, our wish list for Ford Performance vehicles for the next five years. Some of these cars we’d like to see right away, all of them in fact, but if Ford makes them worth the wait, then we don’t mind biding our time. Tell us what you’d like to see in the comments below.