Steeda Thunder F-150 Debuts as 780 HP Modern SVT Lightning Ford Won’t Build
The SVT Lighting is long gone, but the new Steeda Thunder F-150 fills that void with a regular cab muscle car-beating hauler.
After two generations, Ford ultimately decided not to bring the F-150 SVT Lightning back for a third, instead opting to essentially replace it with the more off-road-focused F-150 Raptor. That decision certainly hasn’t hurt it financially, as the Raptor has proven to be an incredibly popular machine after more than a decade in production. However, there are many of us that still pine for a street-focused performance pickup, and for us, there is now another suitable alternative in the form of the just-revealed Steeda Thunder F-150.
Unlike some other tuners that sell gussied-up F-150 pickups only in SuperCrew configuration, the Steeda Thunder F-150 keeps things very Lightning-like by offering the same sort of upgrades in the lighter regular cab configuration, all in the name of performance. On the outside, it certainly looks very much like a modern-day SVT hauler, thanks to its paint-matched bumpers, roof and tailgate spoilers, a three-inch Cervini’s cowl hood, and 22-inch Velga forged aluminum wheels, which are wrapped with Nitto NT420V LT305/40R rubber.
Starting out with the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 – as nature intended – Steeda then blesses the F-150 Thunder with a Whipple Stage 2 supercharger and an MBRP cat-back exhaust, which is all this engine needs to churn out a healthy 780 horsepower and 685 pound-feet of torque – far more than any stock SVT Lightning ever did. It’s also more than enough to make this a performer not only in a straight line, but also in the twisties, thanks to the addition of IHC suspension upgrades.
Of course, those that want more can get it in the form of things like AlphaRex LED projector headlights, a Wilwood big brake kit, custom seat and door panel upholstery, and carbon fiber interior trim. You can also spec the Steeda Thunder F-150 in SuperCab or SuperCrew configuration, but personally, we’d keep things traditional here, as this truck is all about performance – and style.
As far as pricing goes, Steeda charges $34,000 on top of the cost of the donor pickup, meaning that if one keeps things simple, they could have a rather fast, muscle car-beating pickup for around $70k – not too shabby in today’s inflated economy, we’d say.
Photos: Steeda
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