Blown flareside F-150 channels its inner second generation Lightning with a wicked burnout.
This week’s Tire Smokin’ Tuesday video comes to us from the YouTube channel of the gurus and it features what is referred to as a first generation Ford F-150 SVT Lightning doing a gigantic burnout. This truck has been modified, so it makes far more power than it did when it rolled off of the assembly line more than 20 years ago, allowing it to roast the rear tire as well as any ninth generation Lightning we have seen.
The Machine
The truck in the video above is called an F-150 Lightning in the title and the description, but it looks more like a non-SVT truck from the ninth generation. It has a flareside bed while the early Lightnings did not, it does not have any Lightning badges and it has a chrome front bumper rather than the Lightning’s body-colored front end.
In other words, this ninth generation F-150 does not physically appear to be an SVT model, but it packs a similar engine to the 1993-1995 Lightning along with a big supercharger, similar to the second generation Lightning that was offered in the late-1990s and early-2000s. To be exact, this truck is powered by a 5.8-liter V8 fitted with a Vortech V2 supercharger, allowing it to make some serious tire-slaying power.
Killing the Tires
The video begins with the super-clean, supercharged F-150 sitting stationary in front of the camera with the engine idling. After a few seconds, the driver gives the cameraman the thumbs-up and the fun begins. Within seconds of the tires spinning, smoke begins to pour out from under the back end. The whine of the supercharger combined with the roar of the engine and the hiss of the blow-off valve makes for a sweet soundtrack as what may or may not be an SVT Lightning roasts the rear tires for about 20 seconds.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
