Ford CEO: 'I drive the competition'

For some people, their job is just that. But for Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley, his job is his whole world. A car guy through-and-through, he spends as much time on cars personally as he does professionally, both with his son and as a race-car driver. It's no wonder that he hosts his own car-themed podcast DRIVE with Jim Farley with guests like Jimmy Fallon.

However, Farley won't let passion cloud his judgement: "Even though I love cars and I love racing, I'm a business person." Farley joined Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi on Opening Bid from Ford's Detroit new revitalization project, Michigan Central.

For this full episode of Opening Bid, watch on our website or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

Video transcript

So Jim, you are a notorious car guy.

Um, what do you drive nowadays?

You know, mostly I drive the competition, um, uh, for my job.

So I, I, you know, my fun car on a Friday is if I get to go in the office, I'll drive my 73 Bronco, which I do all the work myself.

And Jim, the guy who helps me with my truck, he's always giving me a hard time about my skills.

You know, I, I have a Agt 40 a cobra that I race and I'm starting to race modern cars, the new Mustang challenge.

We have a new GT four and IM so that I'm starting to race and I'm like 62 years old.

So it doesn't make any sense at all.

But, uh, you know, look, I love car people.

I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm a kind of one trick pony that way.

I love my job.

I love my industry.

I love being around car people on the weekend.

You know, every comment I make, you know, with my son because he, he doesn't like the cars I like and he's a teenager now and you know, I build model cars.

Yeah, he's a BMW guy.

It's totally maddening.

I know.

Yeah.

Don't even get me started.

He loves the JDM stuff.

He really loves the skyline.

All the stuff you can import to the US.

Now that, you know, is 20 years or older, he likes all that stuff.

But that's good.

You know, I didn't like the cars.

My dad drove either.

We always, you know, but I, I guess what I'd say is, um, even though I love cars and I love racing, I'm a business person.

It, it, it's not like it clouds my judgment.

In fact, I'm actually really wary of that.

Um, but I do love the podcast because we get to talk to people like you about cars called Drive and I love, it's called Drive.

You know, if you wanna know about Tom Tom Brady and what car he drove in high school, go listen to drive and, uh, and Jimmy Fallon and, and, uh, uh, you know, I, I it's, it's just fun.

We have fun and we talk about cars and whether you're, you know, first date or, you know, something awkward that happened in a car or like Neil Degrasse Tyson.

We talked mostly about weird car names named after the solar, you know, the solar system.

Um, yeah, we just have fun and it, it keeps me refreshed, but I guess I would say I tried not to make my love of cars.

Cloud my judgment as a CEO of a public company sometimes it's hard.

I'm sure I'm sure the last I will, I'll just say this on a final note.

Uh I grew up inside of a 86 tempo blue in an 87 hatchback white escort the whoopings.

I got in those two.

Now, that is interesting because my wife also grew up in a white escort station wagon.

It's like we're like Kindred de Man, I've never met actually.

So because I always ask people like what cars you grew up.

That's the first time I've ever heard of the escort.

Fair enough, Jim Farley.

Thanks so much.

We appreciate it.

Thank you, Brian.