Random Car Wednesday: 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning

Welcome to this week's RCW on Shifting Gears. For today, I thought I'd pick out one of my favorite Ford oddballs, the SVT Lightning. In the early 1990's, there were a limited number of American performance cars available. For a hefty price tag you could snag a first-generation Viper, or a well-optioned Corvette. The main contenders were GM's Camaro SS and Firebird Trans Am, as well as the Ford Mustang GT. The Fox-body platform was starting to show its age, so in 1993, the year before the next-generation Mustang was unveiled, Ford assembled a performance division to add a bit of spice to their lineup. The Special Vehicles Team, or SVT, was tasked with giving Ford's lineup an injection of high performance. In 1993 they released the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, and SVT Mustang variants showed up throughout most of the 1990's and 2000's. However, SVT also got their hands on the Ford F-150 pickup. SVT gave it a mild bodykit, better suspension and frame, and a 5.8 liter V8. Thus, the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was born. It also took sales out of Chevy's sport truck, the 454 SS. SVT returned to the F-150 platform later, too. A second-generation Lightning debuted in 1999, and the modern-day SVT Raptor is proving to be a strong seller for Ford. There's something about a high-performance pickup that is distinctly American, and I, for one, love it.

1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning