The pickup truck is the idea vehicle to haul almost anything;
lumber, mulch, furniture, tools, even those weekend recreational items……but in
the early 1990’s Ford decided it was time to haul the mail. In 1993 Ford turned
the truck market on its head and offered the Ford Lightning F-150 and it was an
instant hit with the muscle car guys because finally a truck was offered that
matched the performance of their hot-rod in the garage.
Colors on the first generation Lightning’s were limited to
Black or Red and then White was added for the 1994 and 95 models. These early
trucks were offered as a standard cab, short bed (fleetside) only; however they
had that short bed/wide stance that remains popular with truck lovers today.
The SVT (Specialty Vehicle Team) engineers and marketing
executives at Ford motor Company birthed this high-performance truck and they
must have done it right because they are still legendary today among
collectors. They only made 11,563 of those first gen trucks but many are still
being driven.
Ford launched an all-new F-150 Truck in 1997, so after a few
years away they reintroduced another Lightning (2nd generation) in
1999 based on this new body style. This time the performance was enhanced just
a bit. The 5.4 liter V8 engine was juiced up with an (Roots-Type) Eaton
Supercharger producing 360 horsepower and 440 lb.ft. of torque. It also was
capable of a zero to 60 mph time of 6.2 sec. These 2nd gen trucks were
made from 1999 to 2004, but in 2001 some upgrades were made that kind of
solidified the truck as a serious contender. An additional 20 horsepower was
achieved by a modified air intake manifold putting the truck at a respectable
380HP and 450 lb. ft. of torque. Other goodies on the 2001 included an aluminum
driveshaft, 3.73:1 gears, and suspension upgrades allowing the truck to bolt from
zero to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds. A total of 28,124 of the 2nd gen
F-150 Lightning trucks were made from 1999 – 2004.
Another special designation of the 2nd generation
SVT Lightning came when it was it recognized as the World’s fastest production
truck and in 2003 Guinness certified the F150 Lightning after it ran 147 mph
off the showroom floor. These trucks still remain quite popular at the local
strip due to the quick ¼ mile times they can lay down. From 1999-2000 the
trucks were regularly running low 14’s with trap speeds near 100 mph.
Wheels and tires were also improved on the truck. It was now
riding on unique 18 inch Goodyear Eagle F1-GS low profile tires and special 18
x 9.5 inch (Cobra-like) wheels, making the Lightening a true performer on the
street. But don’t worry about style because the 2nd generation also
included anti-lock brakes, keyless remote entry, tilt steering wheel, leather
seats, white face gauges, air conditioning, and power door locks and windows. A
wide variety of colorful exterior paints also set Lightning owners apart in a
crowd; Bright Red, Silver Metallic, True and Sonic Blue were just a few.
Ford hit a homerun with this truck, so it begs the question
why it had to end. They did tease us with a concept truck based on the all-new
2004 F-150 shown at the NAIAS in 2003 (Detroit, MI). It had T-56 manual
transmission borrowed from the SVT Cobra Mustang and a whopping 500HP
supercharged V8 engine, independent rear suspension, and massive 22 inch wheels
with six-piston Brembo calipers to set off the package. However, it never was
produced but the future would hold another surprise to the truck world in the
form of an F-150 Raptor in 2009, but that’s another story.
