Ford Performance Finally Reveals Hypercar Chassis Manufacturer

Back in the late 1960s, Ford Performance was synonymous with prototype racing, but automaker has been notably absent in the discipline in recent decades. Finally, in early 2025, Ford shocked the motorsports world by announcing that it’s headed back to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027. While it played it coy at first, the curtain’s lifting, and The Blue Oval finally pulled the veil off some key details related to this new racing venture.

Ford Performance dropped the news just ahead of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. CEO Jim Farley was on scene at Circuit de la Sarthe – no surprise, considering he’s driving a Ford Mustang Dark Horse R in the inaugural Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational – to announce the Hypercar program details. Farley revealed that Ford Performance tapped French chassis manufacturer ORECA to supply the bones of its forthcoming race car, which will be Ford-powered and Ford-built.

“We are honored that Ford has chosen ORECA to design the future WEC Hypercar for their return to the top tier of endurance racing,” said Hugues de Chaunac, President, ORECA Group. “This strategic partnership is a key part of our ongoing commitment to the highest level of racing and to the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Dan Sayers, WEC Hypercar Program Director

Mark Rushbrook, head of Ford Performance, was also on hand. He announced that Dan Sayers is stepping in as WEC Hypercar Program Manager, joining The Blue Oval from his current role of Program Director at Red Bull Powertrains.

“Ford Performance is taking on so many different challenges around the racing world, but to lead Ford back to its spiritual home at Le Mans was a challenge I could not turn down,” Sayers said. “Having previously led Aston Martin to multiple Le Mans class victories, the opportunity to take overall honors with Ford is something very special. I have loved working on the F1 program with Red Bull Ford Powertrains so this feels a lot like joining a different part of the same family.”

Farley said he’s thrilled for the challenge and insanely proud of Ford Performance. “Bringing Ford back to the top class at Le Mans has always been a dream for many of us including our Executive Chair Bill Ford,” he said. “On Sunday, it will be exactly 56 years since we last took the top step of the overall podium here. That is long enough.”