Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 2002 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning.
Lightning strikes travel at 270,000 miles per hour. The speed of light itself is even faster, at 186,000 miles per second (or 671 million miles per hour). Figures like that are difficult to even comprehend. Perhaps that’s why Ford’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) Division named its performance-tuned version of the ninth-generation F-150 pickup accordingly. The truck launched in 1992 and was designed from the get-go to emphasize all-out speed over utility.
A second-generation Lightning, debuting in 1999, raised the bar even higher by incorporating an Eaton supercharger, a lowered suspension, and 18-inch wheels with grippy Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. Still, some enthusiasts craved more: Today’s featured truck is a rolling testament to what happens when you take an already-capable platform and escalate it to new levels. The auction ends tomorrow, so interested buyers need to act quickly.
The Triton 5.4-liter V8 in this truck has been rebuilt, and it comes with a long list of bolt-ons. Among the upgrades are a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger, ARP main and head studs, Manley rods, CP-Carillo pistons, upgraded pulleys, a Garrett intercooler, Metco Motorsports fuel rails, and much more. The listing doesn’t specify the truck’s current dyno-tested power output, but it is safe to say the number is significantly higher than the stock figure (which was 380).
The fact that a relatively nondescript regular-cab truck in Silver Metallic has been built with this kind of drivetrain makes it a great example of a “sleeper.” Aside from the smoked headlights, gloss black wheels, and aftermarket taillights, you would be hard-pressed to know what kind of punch this pickup is packing under its hood.
One of the things I like most about limited-production vehicles is that they often come with authentication documents. In this case, the truck is accompanied by a certificate from the Special Vehicle Team that says the truck was assembled in Ontario on January 28, 2002, and it was unit number 1,567 out of 4,726 vehicles produced. Of those nearly-5,000 trucks, I have to imagine this is one of the more heavily-modified examples that are still on the road. And even though the odometer shows over 180,000 miles, it has been mechanically refreshed in every possible way.
Can you handle this “greased” Lightning? Bid to own it!
The auction for this 2002 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning ends Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
Source: www.classiccars.com