High-operation pickups accept a way of splitting opinion. Today, most people love their all round attributes, but back in the 90s, when they were first starting to make waves, they had a tendency to rub many enthusiasts up the wrong way.

It could be that we are just used to seeing them, only when the first-gen SVT Lightning hit the streets, at that place was a lot more than hate out in that location than even Ford would have likely suspected. One aspect of this was the fact that they could never quite find a form to fit them into. The term muscle-truck is a fairly modern one, and back so it was more than of a joke than an accustomed form in the automotive manufacture. Pricing was fairly high for the time, and the production run of around 12,000 makes information technology a fairly limited edition. The 2d gen is a lot less rare and by all accounts much better in every respect, and will nearly certainly join the offset gen equally a highly collectable pickup in years to come.

ten Powerful Windsor V8

HotCars

By the 90s, the Windsor was already a dated engine choice (although the Aussies used them for even longer). Information technology wasn't there for its outright horsepower, but its phenomenal torque commitment.

via Pinterest

Its 240 horsepower was pretty decent for an early 90s square-trunk pickup, but the 340 lb-ft of torque was the real winner. It meant the thing could haul like a regular pickup, then, if the moment struck, outgun just virtually any contemporary hot hatch.

9 Practical Operation

1994 Ford SVT Lightning
Via-Mecum-Auctions

I thing Ford did correct was keep the payload and hauling power of the F-150, as much as 800 and v,000 pounds respectively, were not necessarily class leading specs back so, it was a whole lot more than its direct competition.

1991 GMC Syclone Pickup
Via: YouTube

The Syclone (pictured) had a payload capacity of adjacent to nothing and a tow rating of literally null. It made no bones about existence a pure leisure vehicle, the SVT gave their customers the pick of carrying a load of something and towing as much as any other vehicle on the road dorsum then.

8 Depression Volume

Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
Via: mecum.com

For the original commencement gen, production wound upwards past the mid 90s, with only effectually 12,000 existence made. Information technology was very much a niche offering back then, especially when you consider just how many F-150s were sold in the same catamenia.

Via F150Online

Currently, prices are not outrageous, simply by definition this is officially a archetype vehicle already, so don't await it to stay that fashion, especially for one that wasn't driveling or actually used equally a piece of work vehicle.

7 Excellent Reliability Tape

red ford f150 svt lightning
Via Hagerty

Any performance version of whatsoever vehicle volition never have perfect reliability scores, they are inherently highly strung and will usually have shorter service intervals.

The Performance-Oriented Ninth Gen Of 1992
via Pinterest

Non so for the more rudimentary SVT, with a simple pushrod V8 the service intervals were normal and pretty much every spare part can nevertheless be bought over the counter and/or institute at a junkyard.

six Much Improved 2d Stanza

2004 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning Mecum
Via Mecum

After filling a niche with the first gen pickup, the 2nd iteration upped the ante considerably. It needed to, because, by this time, Dodge had rolled out several muscle-trucks.

Ford F150 Lightning engine
Via eBay

By 2001 the now supercharged Triton V8 was making 380 horsepower, 0-60 was improved substantially to just over the 5-second mark, all the while keeping the payload and hauling numbers intact.

5 Future Archetype

Ford F150 Lightning quarter front
Via eBay

Dissimilar the first-gen, the second gen is nowhere near classic status simply withal (although technically early examples are now over 20 years old) and far too many were made for information technology to exist considered seriously rare.

Ford F-150 SVT Lightning via road & track

Compared to the literal millions of this generation F-150 that were made, the twenty-odd yard that were fabricated are a relative drop in the body of water. People will collect these in the future, though, that much is certain.

4 Confront-Melting Acceleration

Ford F-150 SVT Lightning via autoblog
autoblog

It isn't the horsepower that matters, sure, it is quick and the 0-60 time reflects that, but it is how it makes its power.

2000 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
Via: Mecum Auctions

The 450 lb-ft of torque thrusts you into your seat as the brusk-geared manual transfers the smoothly delivered supercharged ability to the wheels.

three Corners Like A Pickup

Red Ford SVT F-150 Lightning on the track
via CarAndDriver

Every bit quickly as yous get going, stopping is not this thing'due south strength, which already puts information technology squarely on the back foot as you approach an apex, then it all goes even more than wobbly.

Black 1999 Ford SVT Lightning
Via: Mecum Auctions

Information technology handles, every bit y'all might look, merely like any pickup made in the early 2000s might. No matter how much stiffening has been washed, this is no planted sports motorcar.

2 Polarizing Result

Via RNRAutoblog

It is truly the awful handling that splits opinion, although it shouldn't. Many muscle cars, even modernistic ones, tin't accept a corner if your life depended on information technology.

via Hagerty

Information technology is strange that so many people tin can't take these pickups at face value, like a pickup is supposed to accept some greater purpose in the proper name of practicality. They are unashamed of what they are, machines made with merely one real purpose; fun.

ane Just Plain Fun

performance.ford.com

Truly there is nothing more to them, although they might have some numbers that suggest otherwise, that is more of an excuse to justify ownership than an actual selling point.

Red 1999 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
via Fordtruckenthusiasts

For those who go it, these are only some of the best examples of what a muscle-truck should exist, for those who don't, well that is their loss, really.

Why The Ford F-150 Lightning Remains One Of The Fastest Pickups In 2020

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