- Ford is considering teaming UP with Australian firm Triple Eight for special editions of its road cars.
- Such a collaboration could spawn beefed-up versions of the Mustang and the Ranger pickup.
- Triple Eight is the official Ford Homologation team for the 2026 Supercars Championship season.
The Ford Performance division has given us some great cars, but that doesn’t mean that the company is not open to future collaborations. A potential partner that is currently under consideration is Australian engineering and racing team Triple Eight.
Triple Eight has recently announced a switch from GM to Ford for the Australia Supercars, meaning they will be racing Mustangs from the 2026 Supercars Championship season. The Brisbane-based firm is no stranger to Ford, as they were racing Falcon sedans between 2003 and 2009, before switching to Holden.
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What is more interesting, is that the new team-up could spawn special editions of road cars such as the Mustang and the Ranger for the Australian market. In an interview with Speedcafe, Ford Australia CEO, Andrew Birkic, was asked about a possible collaboration with Triple Eight outside the racing world:
“They are first and foremost an engineering company that is a very good race team, so there’s no reason why not. What that looks like we don’t know, but certainly we have an open mind.”
The Ford Australia boss noted that their collaboration with Walkinshaw Andretti United is about to end, leaving a window of opportunity for Triple Eight to take its place: “We’ve done Finke and Walkinshaw Andretti United has helped us in certain areas. Obviously, they’re moving onto another camp, so we do see opportunities for Triple Eight”.
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Triple Eight has already entered the automotive tuning business by offering an aftermarket intake for the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series in collaboration with local brand Just Autos.
New projects could include a more potent version of the Mustang inspired by the racing model, or a beefed-up version of the Ranger which remains one of the most popular models Down Under. Ford’s local lineup also includes the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, the Everest ladder-frame SUV, and a couple of vans, but these are highly unlikely to serve as a base for Triple Eight specials.
Previous limited editions of Ford models created with the help of partner racing teams in Australia include a Ranger with off-road bits from Walkinshaw, beefed-up Mustangs and the Rangers from Tickford, and another sporty Mustang from Dick Johnson and Rob Herrod.