Google Maps shows that it takes nine hours to fly directly from Pope Leo XIV’s hometown of Chicago to his home in Vatican City. At the end of February, the Blue Oval’s CEO, Jim Farley, and his wife Lia presented the head of the Catholic Church with a rolling reminder of the “Windy City”: a special 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum hybrid.
According to Ford From the Road, “The Explorer was customized with a 3.3L V6 hybrid powertrain and 10-speed hybrid transmission, as well as an antenna that’s compatible with the European broadcast radio system. Vanity license plates read ‘DA POPE’ and ‘LEO XIV.’” Those last two additions definitely sound custom, but the hybrid part? Upon first reading, it may seem odd that a hybrid powertrain is a special addition to the Explorer — after all, aren’t the majority of vehicles available as a hybrid? Believe it or not, the 2026 Explorer is not. If you go to the Vehicles section of Ford’s website and click on the Hybrid & Electric tab, you’ll see such models as the Maverick, Escape, and E-Transit but not the Explorer. Ford only offers the Explorer to us regular folks with a 2.3-liter I-4 or 3.0-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine.
The Pope will cross the Vatican grounds in comfort and luxury because his Explorer is also a Platinum model, which comes standard with a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats with massage, and heated second-row seats. Judging by the photos, it also looks as if the Pope’s new vehicle has the Lux Leather Package, which adds quilted and stitched premium leather seats, Platinum badges on the front seats, and quilted and stitched door panels.
The team at Ford’s Chicago Assembly plant also made sure to include some thoughtful, personalized touches the Pope would appreciate. Every time he gets into his Explorer, he’ll see how far he’s come on the door sill scuff plates, which show the Chicago skyline at one end and St. Peter’s Basilica at the other. The front buckets have small individual Chicago flags on their inboard sides; in between those is another Chicago skyline, which was sewn into the lid of the center console’s storage compartment.
Farley also included handwritten letters from those who worked on the Explorer as part of the presentation. Lead Electrical Systems integration engineer Jennifer Barilovich said, “I hope my letter gave the Pope a sense of how proud I am. This is the highlight of my professional life so far.” She and her colleagues received several rosaries blessed by the Pope himself.
