Ford Ranger Lightning Concept Is Simply Electrifying
Ford teased us with a Ranger Lightning back in ’04 but never delivered. Now, it’s time to make that dream a reality.
The idea of a Ford Ranger Lightning isn’t exactly new. Neither is the concept of a sporty, performance-oriented Ranger. After all, Ford once built the rarely-seen Ranger GT, and dabbled with packages like the Splash. Heck, it even built a Ranger Lightning prototype back in 2004. That insane little pickup sported the entire supercharged 5.4-liter drivetrain from the F-150 Lightning of that time. But sadly, it was only a one-off. And like its big brother, it’s only a distant memory today.
The performance truck has made a big-time comeback in the form of the F-150 and Raptor Ranger, albeit in four-wheel drive guise. That’s left some local Ford dealerships and companies like Roush and Saleen to fill the rear-wheel drive sport performance truck void. But what if Ford decided to rejuvenate their famous performer? Even better, what if they gave that same treatment to their reborn mid-sizer and built a Ranger Lighting?
Well, we imagine it would look something like this. Our resident artist took the 2019 Ford Ranger and borrowed heavily from the Ranger Raptor to create a potent 2wd machine. Viewed from the front, you might even mistake it for a Raptor. But from any other angle, this thing is pure corner-hugging sport truck. Sure, there are some knobby looking off-road tires, which seems like an odd pairing. But as we’ve seen before, it just works.
Toss in some sweeping fender flares and even a rear spoiler, and you’ve got a pretty sweet looking concept. One that makes perfect sense as well. With Ford ditching cars and investing heavily in its truck and SUV future, why not add yet another profitable performance model to the mix? We’re guessing that just enough fans of the original would line up for a new Ranger Lightning to make it worth building.
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