Ford just secretly built a one-of-a-kind SUV for Pope Leo at Chicago plant and there's plenty of Easter eggs and unique customizations

You’ve heard of a car fit for a king, but how about a car fit for a pope? That’s exactly what Ford cooked up for Pope Leo at its Chicago plant.

What better way to honor the first American Pope than by creating an all-American car?

The pontiff has roots in Chicago, so it’s only fitting that a Chicago-based company would gift him this custom-made 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum hybrid.

As if that wasn’t special enough, the car features tributes to both sides of Pope Leo’s life – his Chicagoan roots and his Vatican home.

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Pope Leo got a very special car from Ford

Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, was the one who got to gift the car to the Pope.

“Pope Leo XIV has deep roots on Chicago’s South Side — just like Ford,” Farley said in a statement to Catholic news site EWTN.

“And we thought it would be especially fitting for him to drive an Explorer built at our Chicago Assembly Plant, which has been in continuous operation for more than a century.”

Farley and his wife, Lia, got to deliver the car to Pope Leo personally, but they gave full credit to the workers at Ford.

It’s fitting that this car was delivered during Lent, because this Ford Explorer is replete with Easter eggs.

Most of which are nods to Chicago and the Vatican.

On the scruff plates, there’s engravings of the Chicago skyline and St Pete’s Basilica.

What would a customized car be without novelty plates? This car has two – ‘DA POPE’ and ‘LEO XIV’.

The people working on this car were not allowed to know this was a car for the Pope, and only made that discovery recently.

We can’t help but wonder what tipped them off.

At any rate, they were excited when they realized they’d worked on such a monumental project.

“As soon as I could, I told my family,” Jennifer Barilovich, lead electrical systems integration engineer, said.

“I come from a huge Catholic family, so everyone was thrilled and just thought it was the coolest project.”

Fortunately, all their hard work was appreciated by the Holy Father, who received the car personally in a private audience on February 28th.

“He noticed and appreciated all the personal touches,” Farley said.

“We even took a quick drive, and I can confirm the Holy Father enjoys driving a sporty ride.

“But more than anything, what stays with me is the feeling of gratitude and joy we experienced meeting him and sharing this small gesture.”

In addition to the Ford Explorer, Ford’s team also gifted Pope Leo a picture of the Chicago Assembly Plant team, handwritten letters from employees, and a pizza box from Chicago’s Aurelio’s Pizza restaurant.

“I wrote a letter to the pope to tell him how much it meant to me,” 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.”

There have been a lot of cool cars at the Vatican over the years

When you think of the Vatican, chances are you’re thinking of a place steeped in history and tradition.

It’s not somewhere that you would associate with flashy cars – the epitome of modernity.

Pope Leo has some cool vehicles to his name, including two electric Popemobiles.

He’s also in possession of a working F1 steering wheel from Charles Leclerc’s car, gifted to him by Ferrari.

And it’s not just this pope either – cars have an interesting history with his predecessors too.

Pope Francis was gifted a Lamborghini Huracán, but still continues to drive a humble car.

Then there was Pope John Paul II, who got to ride around in a Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet back in the 1980s.

So if anything, Pope Leo is carrying on a long-running tradition in his association with cars.

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