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Ford of Canada announces production details, pricing for Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup
OAKVILLE, Ont.,
May 1, 2000 – Ford of Canada today announced it will produce up to
7,500 limited edition Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup trucks – 800 of
which begin appearing in Canadian showrooms later this month at a
suggested price of $43,295.
Employees from Ford and Fred Deeley Imports (Harley-Davidson’s
Canadian importer) cheered as the muscular, ground-hugging black
beauty – complete with throaty growl – took its place alongside its
F-Series siblings at a special Ontario Truck Plant (OTP)
ceremony. These include Super Duty, Crew Cab and the SVT
Lightning, which together comprise Canada’s best-selling nameplate
of the past six years.
“The Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup is a unique addition to Ford’s
best-selling F-Series lineup,” said Bobbie Gaunt, Ford of Canada’s
president and CEO. “The decision to give OTP exclusive
manufacturing privileges for this special-edition F-Series is high
praise for the men and women who build them and whose commitment to
quality is second to none.”
In gleaming monochrome black with distinctive Harley-Davidson
orange pinstriping and 20-inch styled chrome wheels, the truck
thrums its own open-road tune through slash-cut, chromed exhaust
pipes. Easily the most anticipated production event in recent OTP
history, it joins the SVT F-150 Lightning as the second limited
edition Ford F-Series pickup to be produced here.
The distinctive pickup has captured the imagination of automotive
enthusiasts across North America – including Tonight Show host and
self-proclaimed “gearhead” Jay Leno, who recently became customer
number one for the Canadian-made Harley-Davidson F-150 truck.
The F-150’s 260-horsepower, 5.4-litre, SOHC TritonTM
V-8 powers the Harley-Davidson F-150, which is lowered one inch with
revised springs and heavy-duty sway bar, adding to the vehicle’s
brawny appearance. The truck is built alongside Ford’s F-150
pickups at the OTP, which employs 1,340 employees and produces 54
F-Series trucks each hour.
A marriage of powerhouse brands_ The new truck is
the first product developed under a strategic alliance between Ford
Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Motor Company – both of which will
celebrate their corporate centennials in 2003. The alliance brings
together two of the best-known, most-admired companies in the world,
whose collective customers now have a new, distinctive vehicle – one
that delivers a strong statement about their individuality.
“Ford’s F-Series have been the top-selling pickups in Canada for
an astonishing 34 consecutive years, and the best-selling vehicle
for six years,” said Brant Noltie, Ford of Canada’s Truck Group
Brand Manager. “This truck fuses the ‘Built-Ford-Tough’ durability
of the F-150 with the almost mythic popularity and appeal of the
Harley-Davidson brand name.”
The offspring of two icons of the North American road, the new
truck represents both power and presence, Noltie added. “This is
truly a marriage of powerhouse brands.”
For Plant Manager Patricia Reid, Ford Motor Company’s choice of
where to build the Harley-Davidson F-150 “recognizes the
manufacturing dexterity of both this plant and its employees.
“OTP people have an impressive track record in assembling
dramatically different niche vehicles that roll down the same line
as the rest of the F-Series models they build,” said Reid. “Most
importantly, our employees combine excellent productivity with top
quality.” Famous motorcycle icon inspires visual styling
cues The new pickup embodies visual cues that have made
the motorcycle famous. Its distinctive badging, dash ornament, and
unique “spun metal” instrument cluster, melds the pickup’s sleek
toughness with the motorcycle’s enduring mystique.
Other interior features include ebony black leather-trimmed
captain’s chairs with embossed Harley-Davidson logo, chrome steering
column stalks and door release hardware and black leather-wrapped
trim and steering wheel.
Outside, the Harley-Davidson F-150 is a black, monochromatic 4 X
2 SuperCab pickup with a flareside box topped by a hard shell
tonneau cover. Design engineers also specially tuned the single
inlet-dual outlet exhaust to give it a more “robust” aural
signature, thanks to an SVT Lightning-tuned muffler ending in dual
chrome 3.5-inch “slash cut” exhaust tips. Ford and Harley-Davidson
badges adorn the front fenders and a lower front valence encompasses
built-in driving lamps.
Standard equipment includes air conditioning, speed control, tilt
steering wheel, remote keyless entry, privacy glass, power
windows/locks/driver’s seat, overhead console with temperature &
compass and AM-FM stereo with single CD player. The 2000
Harley-Davidson F-150 comes with only two options: a six-disc CD
changer and sliding rear window.
The Ford and Harley-Davidson alliance provides the opportunity
for the two companies to jointly develop and market exciting
products, like the Harley-Davidson F-150, and a line of unique
automotive accessories and apparel, available only through Ford
dealerships and www.icollection.com.
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