Chicago-built Ford Explorer delivered as popemobile-inspired gift to Pope Leo XIV
Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant built a customized 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum for Pope Leo XIV and delivered it to the Vatican with Chicago-themed touches (Chicago flag seat tags, skyline stitching on the center console, and engraved Chicago-to-Vatican design), handwritten employee notes, and vanity plates. The gift, presented by Ford CEO Jim Farley, reflects the pope's Chicago roots and was test-driven around Vatican grounds; it is not an official popemobile but a personal-use vehicle for the pope.