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Ford Reveals the Maverick LoboThe Ford SVT Lightning Was a Bolt from the Blue (Oval)
With their raucous V8s and radical ‘90s styling, the original Ford Lightning sport trucks were shockingly quick long before the Lightning went electric.
Ford’s Lightning Quick Pickups
Lately, car companies have taken to the same basic formula for success as movie studios. Rather than the risky proposition of creating something wholly new, they look back to prior successes and reboot them, banking on familiarity and nostalgia to do their marketing work for them. So far, it’s worked a charm for the Ford Bronco and Mk V Toyota Supra and stoked anticipation for the returning Honda Prelude.
Sometimes this kind of classic car redux produces a modern analogue like the Bronco while others more completely reimagine the original, like the Ford Lightning. Today’s Ford Lightning is their all-electric version of the F-150. An EV pickup carrying a 433-kWh battery pack might seem a far cry from the V8-powered 1990s sport truck the current Lightning is named after. But in Ford parlance, Lightning means “the fast F-150” and with a maximum of 580 horsepower and a zero to sixty jolt of a mere four seconds the new Lightning undoubtedly lives up to the original’s ethos, even if it lacks some of the original’s visual flare.
Below we look at both the first- and second-generation Ford F-150 Lightning and what made them so electrifying.
1993-95 Ford SVT Lightning
The SVT (Special Vehicle Team) Lightning, based on the ninth-generation F-150, was Ford’s entry into the niche of sport trucks. The early 1990s had already given us the Chevrolet 454SS and GMC Syclone, performance variants of the Chevy C/K and GMC Sonoma, respectively. For 1993, Ford decided they wanted to try their hand at a sport truck and handed the reigns to their newly formed SVT, who were also working on a new Mustang variant, the SVT Cobra.
The SVT Lightning gave the F-150 an aggressive new look. Up front was a color-matching grille and air dam with integrated fog lamps. The Lightning was initially offered in just two colors: red or black, with white added in 1994 as a third option (one that proved the most popular that year). Since this was the ‘90s, the Lightning carries some graffiti style decals on its side panels and tailgate. The Lightning was also given distinctive five-spoke 17-inch aluminum wheels. An optional color-matching tubular rear bumper was also available to round out the truck’s striking street presence. The truck’s cabin was mostly unchanged from the standard F-150 save for a pair of well-bolstered bucket seats with “Lightning” stitching on the headrests.
Of course, the Lightning didn’t just look fast, Ford had given the truck plenty of performance upgrades starting with its 351 Windsor V8. Tuned to 240 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque, the V8 utilized the same aluminum tubular intake manifold, iron cylinder heads, and exhaust manifold from the GT40 racecar. The intake manifold even got raised “Lightning” etching for some stylistic pop when you opened the hood. Power was sent to the rear wheels via an E40D four-speed automatic used in the F-Series’ heavy duty applications.
The truck’s suspension was also upgraded. Front and rear sway bars were added, the I-beam set up was retained with coil springs front and leaf springs rear, and new Monroe Formula GP shocks came in. The set up greatly enhanced the Lightning’s handling characteristics, albeit while compromising on ride quality.
The Lightning’s enhancements gave it a zero to sixty run of 7.2 seconds and a quarter mile time of 15.6 seconds, swift by the standards of the day but a long way off from the much lighter GMC Syclone at 5.3 seconds to sixty mph. Fuel economy was par for the time at approximately 12 city and 14 highway mpg. That relative inefficiency was mitigated by the presence of dual fuel tanks totaling 34.7 gallons in volume.
The first-generation SVT Lightning sold decently for a niche variant, moving 11,563 units in a three-year run through the 1995 model year.
1999-2004 Ford SVT Lightning
Following a four-year hiatus, Ford brought back the SVT Lightning in the F-150’s tenth generation starting with the 1999 model year. Again, the Lightning was based on the most basic form of the F-150, a short bed, regular cab.
New was the Lightning’s powertrain. A 5.4L Eaton-supercharged V8 mustered a thunderous 360 horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque (the following year these numbers bumped to 380 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft.). Power was sent to the rear wheels with the help of another four-speed automatic transmission. This set up made the Lightning legitimately fast, even by today’s standards, with a zero to sixty time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph, making it the fastest pickup truck on the market during its five-year run.
The front suspension was lowered by one inch but otherwise unaltered while the rear was dropped two inches and given a solid rear axle to go with its leaf springs. The upgraded Monroe shocks were replaced by Bilstein shocks starting with the 2002 model year. Though minor, the alternations helped mitigate the F-150’s natural ponderousness and gave the Lightning surprisingly sharp handling.
This Lightning also offered visual confirmations of its performance prowess. It too had a large color-matching front bumper with air dam and integrated fog lamps as well as new rocker panels and a unique Flareside style bed. Color options were expanded from the original red, white, and black to include silver starting in 2000 with True Blue added in 2002, which was in turn replaced by Sonic Blue for 2003, and Dark Shadow Grey added as well. The Lightning rode on a set of new five-spoke 18-inch wheels.
The second-generation SVT Lightning sold 28,124 units in a five-year production run. Though a niche truck, the fondness of its devotees and obvious thematic connections justified Ford bringing back the name for the new all-electric Ford Lightning. Sadly, that new truck did not have any of the original’s unique styling. Though that leaves open the possibility of Ford seeing the light(ning?) as giving us a sport truck version of the Lightning EV, air dam, Flareside bed, and ‘90s style badging.
