The trucks on the market today are meant for more than just working since many families have chosen to use them for all their daily driving needs. But, back in the '90s, things were a little bit different. The farther back in time, the truck was built, the more likely it was made to work and haul. Every now and then, a manufacturer took things to a whole other level, such as in 1978 when Dodge offered the amazing Lil Red Express to the power-hungry public.
Another such truck was built in 1999 by Ford, the company that has provided the best-selling trucks for 45 years in a row. This Ford-designed and built pickup truck was not put on the market with thoughts of hauling hay on the farm or towing the boat to the nearest lake. The 1999 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was designed to put muscle car owners on notice on the quarter-mile track or in the middle of town, but they could also haul and tow the same as every other F-150 on the roads. Let's take a closer look at this awesome truck to find out why it was such a master of all trades.
10 The SVT Ford Lightning Is Fast In Any Circles
The car industry has come a long way since the '70s when cars that had some muscle were effectively grounded by new emissions regulations, an increase in fuel prices, and of course, the cost of car insurance. The technological improvements that have been made created a way for car and truck makers to engineer and produce vehicles that could have all the power of the old-school muscle cars without going outside of the regulations of the government or the demands of the people. The 1999 Ford SVT Lightning is a prime example of that. A truck with a slightly modified 5.4 Triton engine that could put up track times of 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds and quarter mile times of just over 14 seconds, making the Lightning fast enough to hang out in any performance-focused circle.
9 SVT Lightning Has Improved Power From An Enhanced 5.0L
The 5.0L Triton engine found under the hood of the 1999 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning pickup truck pushes out up to 360 horsepower and produces a ground-pounding torque of 440 foot-pounds. That is without any modifications other than the few that the engineers at Ford felt were necessary. The main components of the engine were basically the same as the base level 5.4L, except for the forged pistons that were coated to reduce friction and designed to reduce the compression ratio down to 8.4:1. The primary enhancement of the engine that boosted the power and torque by around 40% (up to 100 extra horsepower), was the Eaton supercharger that was installed onto the engine at the Ford assembly plant.
8 Supercharger Offers Immediate Power In The '99 Lightning
The battle between superchargers and turbochargers will continue as long as both products are available on the market. The main issue with a turbocharger is that since it works from exhaust fumes and a turbine, it takes a few seconds to engage. On the other hand, the supercharger offers immediate power because it is driven off a belt that runs to a pully attached directly to the engine. That is why the Eaton supercharger was chosen for the '99 Lightning rather than a turbocharger. The engineers at Ford wanted the truck to offer immediate power when needed, which is precisely what the installed supercharger does.
7 Suspension And Traction Is Optimized For Power
No matter how powerful an engine is under the hood, it is pointless if the suspension and traction are not upgraded to match. The SVT (Special Vehicle Team) at Ford understood this concept. Hence, they added some 18-inch Goodyear tires to put the torque to the ground. However, the horsepower can still be a little more than the truck can handle unless the driver knows how to feather the throttle rather than mashing it to the ground. The 1999 SVT Ford Lightning truck also received gas-charged shocks and strengthened springs. This combination is excellent on the beaten path, but the truck can get a little squirrely in the back when off the pavement because the stiff suspension causes some bounce. Nothing a driver cannot handle if they are already used to being behind the wheel of a heavy-duty truck, such as the F-350.
6 The Special Vehicle Team Is All About Ford Performance
Throughout the history of Ford, the upper management understood that it was imperative for them to follow consumer trends. One of those trends, even though it swayed slightly in the '70s and '80s, was power and torque combined into one vehicle. Many didn't care if it was a truck, a car, an SUV, or even a scooter, as long as it could get up and go. That is what the Special Vehicle Team was all about. The only thing the SVT group had to do was make sure they engineered, designed, and produced a machine that could outmaneuver and out-accelerate any of the rivals. The 1999 Ford Lightning was one such project. Designed and built by a unique group of people with one goal: to produce the best version of a race-ready vehicle as they could. But one designed for cruising the streets, not to be stuck on a race track or parked on a trailer waiting for its day in the sun.
5 1999 Ford SVT Lightning Can Corner Like A Car
SVT engineer Kerry Baldori was tasked by Ford executives to come up with a solution to the suspension problems. Kerry had to find a way to offer sports car-like performance on any street while keeping the ability to be a truck. To do this, Baldori used special software to help design the perfect amount of both, creating a truck that could corner like a car but could work and play like a truck. This was achieved by first lowering the ride height of the 1999 SVT Lightning by half an inch, swapping out the base-level shocks for ones that could handle the extra tasks, a beefed-up anti-roll bar, staggered rear shocks, and five leaf springs instead of the typical three that were standard. All these changes created a truck that could almost be mistaken for a car, except for the outer appearance that was all truck.
4 The Appearance Is Unique And Imperative To The Success Of The Lightning
From the front or back of the 1999 Ford Lightning, no one could tell that there was something a little different about the truck. If not a true automotive lover, the side would not look out of place either unless the slightly lowered stance was noticed. If looking closely, it would even be able to see that the front end squatted a little more than it should have. The unique appearance that the Ford Lightning had is what made it stand out from the rest of the F-150s, which is why the appearance of the pickup is so important to the success that the truck had with the consumers that loved their trucks but wanted to be able to burn the tires off when they felt the need.
3 SVT Was Designed To Be Truck Tough
A truck is simply not a truck unless it is built to be one. When creating the 1999 Ford SVT Lightning pickup, the great thing about the engineers and designers was that they understood the basic concept behind what a truck should do. The consumers buying the new muscle truck definitely wanted some power and torque to eat the competition, but they also wanted to be able to tow the camper to their favorite spot without having to buy another truck to do so. The Lightning could haul up to 800 pounds and tow around 5000 pounds. The SVT Ford was built truck tough, just like a buyer would expect.
2 Luxurious Interior By Any Standards In The 1999 Ford Lightning
Modern pickups have luxurious interiors that rival some brands that have made luxurious cars for decades, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. In the '90s, a luxury pickup truck was not so common, so designers liked to throw in a partially upgraded interior whenever they produced a special edition pickup. The 1999 SVT Ford F-150 Lightning was not what could be called plush, but it was more luxurious than the base-level F-150s on the market. The Lightning offered a unique cloth and leather bench seat with a center that could be folded down and used for storage or folded up to provide more seating space. The truck also used exclusive SVT black and white instrumentation and a large console for the stereo and the climate controls.
1 The Lightning Outperformed Many Big Names On The Track
When driving instructors decided to have some fun at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Ford Lightning, it soon became apparent to all the people in the stands that one of the best vehicles put together by the SVT team was a pickup truck, not a car. The truck screeched through the corners with back ends drifting and front wheels turning to compensate without slowing down. From the starting line, the Lightning could reach 60 miles per hour in under 6 seconds, which is faster than the Audi A8 4.2 Quattro (6.3 seconds) and the Porsche Boxter (6.6 seconds). This leap in acceleration for the Lightning made it a contender on the track, even with its drag limiter that stopped top-end acceleration at 140 miles per hour.