• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

There have been many incarnations of the so-called “popemobile,” but the latest has a special connection to the Catholic leader. 

Ford CEO Jim Farley and his wife Lia gave Pope Leo XIV a one-of-a-kind 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum hybrid.

The custom Explorer was built at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, just five miles from where Pope Leo XIV grew up.

Ford calls it a full-circle moment: a Chicago-born Pope receiving a Chicago-built vehicle.

Delivered in person by the Farleys on Feb. 28, the 2026 Ford Explorer was seriously customized. The bespoke vehicle includes unique interior details including Chicago flag seat tags, Chicago skyline stitching on the center console and engraved scuff plates featuring a Chicago-to-Vatican design.

The eco-friendly pope may appreciate the 3.3L V6 hybrid powertrain and 10-speed hybrid transmission. The Vatican acquired its first electric popemobile in December 2024, and has said that it plans to make all popemobiles electric by 2030.

The Ford Explorer also includes EU spec radio hardware so the pope can tune into his favorite radio stations. 

Ford employees also included some gifts including a photo of Chicago Assembly plant team, handwritten letters from Explorer team employees, Chicago Assembly Plant recognition coin, vanity license plates (DA POPE and LEO XIV) and finally a pizza box from Aurelio’s Pizza, a favorite hometown restaurant of Pope Leo XIV.

“I reached out to the Vatican a few months ago, and that’s how this began,” Farley says in a statement. “Lia and I made the donation personally, but it only became possible because a group of Ford employees helped bring this special vehicle to life. The team in Chicago knew they were customizing a VIP vehicle, but we kept the details tightly held until everything was complete.”

One of the workers had a long-ago connection to the pope.

“I graduated from Saint Rita in 1986, so knowing that the pope who once taught me is now driving something I helped assemble -- it’s unbelievable,” says Adolphus Harper, pre-delivery specialist at the plant. “I am proud to be part of this. To see someone connected to my own education become part of something so historic—it’s amazing.”

Pope Leo XIV noticed and appreciated the vehicle’s personal touches, Farley says. 

“We even took a quick drive, and I can confirm the Holy Father enjoys driving a sporty ride,” he says. “But more than anything, what stays with me is the feeling of gratitude and joy we experienced meeting him and sharing this small gesture -- one that reflects the pride and care of the Ford team back home in Chicago.”

This isn’t the first vehicle the Vatican has received from a Detroit-based automaker.

In 1929, the Graham brothers, who led the Detroit-based Graham Paige Motors Corporation donated a Graham Paige 837 limousine, which Pope Pius XI would use to travel to the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Dec. 22, 1929, according to the Vatican Museums.