The muscle truck wars got interesting in the 90s, when Chevrolet dropped a big block engine into its lightest pickup truck body. The SS was born and limited production kept it in collectors’ sights. Ford decided around the same time that Chevy shouldn’t get to have all the fun, so the Ford F-150 Lightning was born, but with a slightly different approach: the Special Vehicle Team took the venerable 351 Windsor and went to town tweaking it for more power. These days, both trucks are desirable, and when you find one in completely stock condition, collectors will take notice. Check out this 1995 Ford F-150 Lightning here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $31,000.
The muscle truck category is one that the U.S. automarket has dominated seemingly forever. While the European automakers don’t have much interest in building a compelling competitor, Dodge, Chevy, and Ford had shown they had the formula down pat. Starting with Dodge’s Lil’ Red Express pickup, and continuing on through the Viper V10-powered Ram SRT-10, the madmen at Mopar showed they would pull no punches building fast workhorses. Chevrolet’s SS was a formidable entry in the space, but with a slightly muted approach; after all, the fast pickup with a bowtie simply took the factory big block and dropped it in.
The F-150 Lightning was a shining moment for Ford’s crack squad of horsepower junkies, SVT. They took the 351 Windsor and went to town, adding a gorgeous intake manifold, GT40 heads, upgraded exhaust system, a hotter camshaft, and a unique throttle body; a limited-slip differential was also installed. The upgrades made for some formidable improvements to the base numbers, which clocked in at 240 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque. While by today’s standards those numbers aren’t particularly remarkable, it was nothing short of impressive at the time to see SVT take a standard engine like the 351 and extract new levels of performance.
The seller’s truck looks terrific in Oxford White; with so many of these pickups wearing black and red paint, it’s nice to see the other color once in a while with the trademark blue “Lightning” graphics. The seller’s example hasn’t been modified in any obvious ways, down to the stock wheels and bumpers. The only tweak is the radio, and the seller mentions he still has the stock unit. Mileage isn’t exceptionally low at just under 90,000, but the level of preservation speaks to how well it’s been cared for. I don’t know that I’d call the muscle truck segment particularly hot at the moment, but there’s always someone who appreciates unmodified examples like this.
These Lightnings were a well-done package, with both performance and appearance upgrades. The appearance upgrades were “just right” in my opinion, not too flashy. When I see one of these on the street, it seems like it is usually beat up. Nice to see an example which is unmodified and has been well-maintained.
Thanks Jeff.
Very nice – seller would help the sale by adding pictures of instrument panel, bed and undercarriage.
Unmolested- a big selling point, so highlight that with pics of key wear areas and how they have held up.
SVT was very driven to make this truck a well rounded and strong performer.
Motor Trend just did a big write up on super trucks of the past and included these Fords. Too bad the Viper powered SRT10 was the only one that came with a manual transmission. I know demand is low and modern automatics are built to handle torque, but it’s just so much more fun to be more engaged.
These kinda showed Chevy how it was done. The first year SS454 was a bit of a cow. You could have as much enjoyment from a 350 Chevy Sport and more money for gas. The Lightning carried the hot pickup torch and was only rivaled later by the SRT-10.
Love these early Lightnings!!
I do too! Especially in white! I always wanted one but figured the cab was a little small and the engine a little thirsty for my daily commute. I strongly considered them when they were in the $4000-$7000 range. They’ve long since gone out of my price range but they’re still a part of my ’80s-’90s Ford dream garage.
Yeah, might as well buy a new truck for that kind of money.
i had a 1999 lightning with the supercharged engine with 360 horsepower. That was a fast truck faster then most cars at the time another one i am sorry i let go loved that truck.
White Lightening 😲