The F-150 Raptor is the best off-road pickup in its segment, full stop. But even though Ford Performance has been upping its game as of late, the Blue Oval couldn’t make a case of bringing back the F-150 SVT Lightning form the dead. But it’s back, alright, all thanks to Bremen, Georgia-based Ford dealer Pioneer Ford.
There’s immense appeal in a sports truck that can shame Mustangs and other adequately fast cars, and Pioneer Ford knows it all too well. This is how the modern interpretation of the SVT Lightning came to be, packing a supercharged V8 under the hood. The dealer started with the standard Coyote, added the Roush Phase 2 supercharger, and hey presto, 650 hp!
Of course, that’s not all there is to the stock-looking regular cab with the short bed. Pioneer Ford’s F-150 SVT Lightning features side-exit exhaust, dedicated suspension setup, and 22-inch tribute wheels. Qualifying for all the existing Ford rebates and incentives, the 650-pony truck retails at $49,661.
That’s just under the starting price of the 2018 model year Ford F-150 Raptor, which is an immense achievement for what is, in essence, the creation of a Ford dealership. Best of all? It comes with the full factory warranty and 3 years or 36,000 miles coverage for the Roush blower. Not bad at all, isn’t it?
All things considered, the modern Lightning is undoubtedly different from the 1993 original. Produced up until 2004, the fast-paced workhorse was fitted with a 5.4-liter V8 and it was rated at 380 horsepower from the 2001 model year onward. That was huge performance for the period, but look at us now. Speaking of fast pickup trucks, the F-150 Raptor will be joined by the Ranger Raptor for model year 2019, which uses the twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.
After seeing the SVT Lightning light up the rears in a cloud of smoke, however, I’m not too sure I want a turbo'd V6 in my next Ford truck.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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