Extreme Makeover's Kim Lewis and her 1977 Ford F-150 (Photos)
Kim Lewis went from working in the office of a furniture company, to designing projects for Extreme Makeover, and now runs her own design firm. She loves the honest hard working design of her Ford F-150, plus the practicality.
1. Meet Kim Lewis
You may have heard of Kim Lewis through her mega-hit TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In her six years with the show, she helped renovate over 120 homes. When she left her media career as a renovating superstar and started her own company, she traded in he sports car for a Ford F-150, an tough, hard working, American icon. As of 2017, the Ford F-Series is celebrating its 40th year as the best selling vehicle in the country, and Kim is one of the media stars helping to celebrate.
2. Kim's many achievements
Kim Lewis Designs continues to make innovative interior spaces for customers, with Kim in charge. Kim's ambitions extend beyond her regular design and renovation work as well. She's also a motivational speaker and international philanthropist, with a vested interest in advocating for women's rights in the workplace. For this and many more reasons, Kim Lewis asserts herself as the rare example of a celebrity who can actually be held up as a positive role model.
3. Pearl - the Ford F-150
Kim is the proud owner of a Ford F-150, and a classic 1977 model at that. She lovingly gave her truck the name Pearl, falling in line with its light color. "Pearl and I are two peas in a pod," she's quoted as saying; you can tell the personal investment with the vehicle extends much deeper than a simple buyer's relationship. It's interesting that her F-150 truck is actually a 1977 model, which was the first year that the F-series became the best selling truck in the USA. Even as a 40 year old truck, Kim gets a ton of use out of it, testifying to the F-150's sturdy design.
4. She learned to drive in an F-150
Kim Lewis actually first learned to drive with an old F-150, not much unlike the one she uses now for work. Living in Texas everyone had trucks, and her grandfather's 1978 F-150 was the first vehicle she ever drove. Only a year off from the vintage model she's now in love with, it must have left a big impression on her.
5. Pearl is an integral part Kim Lewis Designs
Kim's vintage vehicle isn't just for show, and to project a Texas, country image. She uses it regularly as part of her work, including getting supplies to work sites, shopping the flea markets, and hauling furniture. In a way, Pearl has become an important part of the Kim Lewis brand, making her presence immediately distinct from other designers. The F-150 is probably has something to do with her success and reputation; vintage truck models carry a certain aura of down-to-earth authenticity.
6. Kim's F-150 story is one of many
Ford's PR department has been promoting stories of the F-150 to go along with their #40YearsTough campaign, and Kim and Pearl are just one of them. The intimate bond in relationships like Kim and Pearl's can't be fabricated by slick marketing alone. Many people out there love their trucks, and part of the reason is because they are solid enough to stick around a long time. The F-Series is dependable, helpful, and not bad looking; isn't that what we all look for in our friends?
For help keeping your truck on the road, check out the how to section of Ford-Trucks.com