Ford recently slapped a humongous wing to the back of its F-150 Lightning along with a host of other aerodynamic and powertrain enhancements, put record holder Romain Dumas behind the wheel, and wants to conquer Pikes Peak with it. So, are we surprised that F-Series models have also become darlings of the quarter-mile dragstrip when the EV model has the audacity to try and conquer the world's most beloved hill climb?
We are unsure if the Dumas x Lightning endeavor will result in a new EV record, but at least that F-150 looks bonkers. However, you don't need your regular Ford F-150 XL to look like an aerodynamic dragon to attract a crowd. But there is no need to take our word for it as we have a gloriously fast example. In fact, it's such a hurry that the driver doesn't even mind redlighting the quarter-mile dragstrip procedures.
More precisely, after stints at Pocono Raceway for 65-mile rolls or drag racing shenanigans at Bradenton and Texas Motorplex, the good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube are back at their usual venue - Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey. Over there, we have previously seen a Supercharged Chevy Corvette driver become the all-time reaction time boss with a 0.00 pass, for example.
But now it's time to see the other side of the RT coin at Island Dragway. This time around, the videographer focuses on a black Ford F-150 XL with funny little rear tires and its exploits at the track. First, it goes against the blue F-150, which was the star of a previous video, when it dragged almost everything in a truck versus muscle car versus motorbike showdown.
Their encounter at Island Dragway is an interesting one – the black F-150 was so in a hurry to win this skirmish that it red-lighted the Christmas tree way in advance (-4.99 RT). That's too bad for it because it would have easily won the battle and set things into the proper 11.65s versus 12.09s perspective. Next up, a funny-looking Ford Falcon on stilts came along (a gasser, of course) and tried to make an impression with its humongous rear wheels.
However, back on regular wheels, the Ford F-150 wouldn't have any of this – instead, the black menace had a clean start and raced to the finish line with a bonkers 10.92s victory time against the fellow Blue Oval's 14.53s pass! Last but not least, a former Volkswagen Beetle turned into an open-top hot rod bombshell was also up to snuff with the popular F-Series.
Again, though, the Ford driver made a fool of himself or herself with another -4.99 redlight reaction time, unfortunately. Oh well, the outcome of the race wouldn't have been different even if the F-150 started at the right moment – the little Beetle dropped a cool 10.76s pass on top of the 11.65s one by the best-selling pickup truck. Funny, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News