Two Strikes! ’90s Ford F-150 Lightning Meets Its Shocking Electric Successor

It wouldn't have required forming a dedicated performance team to pluck a 245-hp, 410-lb-ft 460-cubic-inch big-block out of the era's F-250 Super Duty, jam it into the F-150, mount some bucket seats, slap on some big wheels and tires, and nearly tie the SS454's 255 hp and 405 lb-ft. But Ford SVT took advantage of coming to market second by meaningfully reimagining its muscle truck. By ceding the engine-output numbers game to Chevy, SVT concentrated on making its Lightning the better-balanced, more well-rounded handler of the two. The team even enlisted racing great Jackie Stewart (three-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion) to help tune the truck's handling.

Instead of a big-block, Ford opted for its trusty 351 Cleveland engine, upgrading it with lightened pistons and smaller, lower-friction rings and topping it with GT40 cylinder heads. These featured bigger ports for better breathing, inhaling through a tubular intake and exhaling via stainless-steel "shorty" exhaust headers. The result: 240 hp and 340 lb-ft, sent aft via a 4-inch-diameter aluminum driveshaft. But the Ford weighed about 80 pounds less (mostly off the nose), and its overall first gear ratio was 2 percent shorter. Add to that the more aggressive tires, a limited-slip differential, and a dedicated rear leaf spring on each side that incorporated a snubber to prevent wind up and axle hop under hard acceleration, and the Lightning managed to edge the SS454 in the quarter mile when MotorTrend compared the two in June 1993—15.6 seconds at 87.4 mph versus 15.8 seconds at 84.7. Not that anyone much cared, but Ford's approach was also more fuel efficient—if only just, at 11/15/13 mpg versus 9/12/10 mpg (using the EPA's current correction factors).

Handling upgrades started with a beefy set of 275/60R17 Firestone Firehawk GTA tires; Chevy made do with 275/60R15 BFGoodrich Comp T/As. Then there was a fatter front anti-roll bar and the addition of a rear anti-roll bar, a revised steering gear, and a set of Monroe Formula GP shocks. A major ride/handling liability was Ford's clunky "Twin-I-Beam" swing-arm front suspension; the Chevy's control arms worked better, especially on bumpy roads. Still, the Lightning trounced the SS454 in our handling tests, in both max lateral grip (0.84 g to 0.78) and in speed through our 600-foot slalom (62.2 mph to 60.7). Braking from 60 mph was a tie at 143 feet (primitive rear-wheel ABS was fitted to both), though our original review noted, "The brakes were the sole disappointment, as only two to three hard stops caused serious fade with correctable but unexpected pull to the right."

It should also be noted that in converting a regular-cab/short-box work truck for muscle truck duty, Ford only lost 100 pounds of payload capacity (probably due to the weight of the bigger wheels, tires, fancier seats, etc. ), and if properly equipped with the towing package, it could tow as much as or more than an F-150 work truck (no doubt snatching any trailer around with greater ease, thanks to its 4.10:1 axle ratio).

The Lightning was based on the then-fanciest XLT trim grade, and SVT didn't do too much to the interior to distinguish it, save a nice set of high-back bucket seats with Lightning embroidery and a center storage console. Must-haves like A/C, cruise control, and power windows and locks were bundled in a package that cost $2,651 in 1994. They didn't even throw in a fancy stereo. (The photo vehicle's single-DIN "Premium AM/FM Cassette" deck set the original owner back $90.) To modern eyes, this interior comes up short of justifying the truck's more than 50 percent price premium at $19,523 to start ($40,950 today).

MotorTrend's comparison deemed the F-150 Lightning to be the superior muscle truck, concluding: "The muscular Ford delivers slightly better [acceleration], vastly superior handling, far greater towing capacity, and the best bucket seats ever put into a production pickup. All at a base price that's $2,317 lower."

Calling Tesla's Cybertruck design "polarizing" would be an understatement bigger than Elon Musk's ego or Twitter following. Calling the pricey lifestyle-oriented Rivian R1T electric pickup truck "niche" is a similar undersell. So just as SVT looked for ways to outmaneuver its Chevy competition, Ford zigged by building an electric pickup truck that reused as many of the gas-powered F-150's parts as practical. The result is an e-truck that "passes" as a gasser to better attract e-skeptics while allowing the F-Series faithful to reuse their tonneau covers, caps, racks, and other aftermarket accessories.

The bed and interior look and function just like the combustion F-150's, with the bonus of a roomy frunk and electrical outlets galore. The fake powertrain noise on Platinum models even sounds vaguely like a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. The frame and suspension underpinnings were redesigned to mount the large battery packs and motors, and it features the first independent rear suspension offered for an F-Series truck, greatly smoothing the ride.

With standard two-motor all-wheel drive producing either 452 or 580 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque, the Lightning EV instantly became the quickest, best-handling F-150 to date (as did its 1993 progenitor). The monstrous Raptor R now accelerates quicker, but despite weighing a half-ton less, that desert racer can't hope to out-brake or out-corner a Lightning on pavement.

As with the muscle truck, payload and towing do not top the F-150 charts, but they're impressive. Aluminum bodywork helps minimize curb weight, and the chassis is fortified for an 8,250-pound gross vehicle weight rating. That allows the lightest Lightning work trucks to carry roughly a ton (down from 3,010 pounds), while tow ratings range from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds (down from 14,000). The electric Lightning can manage a trailer adroitly, but there are a couple huge caveats: It can't tow very much very far, and most charging stations can't conveniently accommodate trucks with trailers.

Despite these few shortcomings, the modern F-150 Lightning's spectacular drivability, still decent (though seemingly ever-increasing) pricing, and impressive capabilities earned it MotorTrend's 2023 Truck of the Year Calipers.

Ford SVT built 11,563 Lightnings between 1993 and 1995 then revived the name on the curvier 10th-gen F-150, powering it with a 5.4-liter supercharged modular V-8 good for 360-380 hp and 440-450 lb-ft. That one sold 28,124 trucks between 1999 and 2004. The desert-racing Raptors that filled the performance truck role in the intervening years have sold as well or better. Then in 2022, when Ford opened the order banks for the Lightning EV, it received 45,000 orders in just 48 hours and has struggled to meet demand.

There's a refreshing honesty and clarity of purpose about the original Lightning. It looks tough, with its bulging-sidewall white-letter tires filling the wheelwells. The engine burble is intoxicating, the rear-wheel drive is playful, and the simplistic shiny black plastic and gray cloth interior harbors no mysteries. We settle in for a brief drive and are struck by how refreshingly direct the steering and brakes feel and how remarkably tight and rattle-free this truck remains after having covered just over 20,000 miles. By contrast, the new Lightning's interior bristles with technology that takes some time to fully learn but rewards the effort with class-leading comfort and convenience at every price point. It silently whooshes to speed in nearly half the time of its more exuberant forebear, and you can run a 220-volt welder out of the bed or power your house for a few days.

Someday perhaps all pickups will be electric. If that happens, you can bet the Lightning name will set yet another F-150 performance benchmark.

Cesar Hermosillo was looking for an early Lightning to pair with the SS454 he already owned when he discovered this low-mileage barn-find example within an hour of his southeast Michigan home. It's 100 percent factory original right down to its Firestone GTA tires (and yes, that tubular rear bumper was a $220 option). All it needed was a thorough cleaning and change of fluids. Owning both, Cesar agrees with our original assessment that the Chevy is the better tire roaster while the Ford's the cornering champ. Its seats are also the best.

*Using current EPA correction factors