Lightning Rod Concept was sold at auction back in January and it is listed for less than auction price.
Back in 2001, Ford Motor Company wanted to use the popularity of the supercharged SVT Lightning while offering us an early look at the face of the all-new 2004 F-150. The resulting concept truck was called the Lightning Rod and it made its world debut at the Chicago Auto Showbefore making its rounds on the auto show circuit. At some point, the unique custom pickup was sold into the collector’s world, turning up at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction back in January.
The one-off 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept must not be as exciting as the buyer had hoped, as after paying $27,500 to buy the truck in January, it has been listed on Craigslist of Phoenix for $27,000. If you have the ability to pay the price, this is a rare chance to score an official Ford Motor Company concept vehicle, but it was built without a VIN, so it cannot legally be driven on the street.
Lightning Rod Details
The Lightning Rod was built on a 2001 Ford F-150, but the body has been heavily modified to look more like the 11th generation truck that was introduced for the 2004 model year. This includes the face of the 2004 trucks, a chopped roof, a sharpened windshield angle, a rounded rear end with LED taillights, custom wheel flares, a hard tonneau cover and a set of classic-styled wheels.
Oddly, while this concept truck was named the Lightning Rod, it does not feature the supercharged SVT engine, instead relying on a naturally aspirated, 5.4-liter Triton V8 that is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Finally, the Lightning Rod Concept was outfitted with a striking interior with a custom dash, a spread of gauges in stainless steel or bright polished aluminum, matching metal door panels and custom bucket seats wrapped in red leather with black tribal trim on the centers.
Show Only
This 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept is awesome, but there is one downside. It was not built for road use, so it does not have a VIN, it was never approved for crash or emission safety standards and it simply cannot be registered for driving on public roads. This means that the owner would have to trailer it around from show to show, but there is no question that this unique Ford concept truck would draw a ton of attention at any sort of car show.
More importantly, you would be one of the few people in the world who gets to brag about owning an official Ford concept truck.
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