These pickups from the sport truck's heyday are well worth seeking out today.
Sport Truck Era
The 1990s and 2000s were a great time for sport truck fans, especially those who prefer Blue Oval pickups over the "rest" of the competition. Ford cranked out some seriously cool trucks during these couple of decades, but so did third-party tuners. The result was a real win-win for consumers, but also sadly somewhat of the end of the sport truck movement. However, if you're looking to score one of these cool rides today, here are a few that are definitely worth pickup up.
Photo: Ford
First-Gen F-150 SVT Lightning
Ford developed the original Lightning to compete with Chevy's 454SS, and it quickly became a sensation when it debuted for the 1993 model year. Essentially a Mustang with a bed, the Lightning was powered by a 240 horsepower 5.8L/351 cubic-inch V8 and featured a host of suspension and visual upgrades that made it the coolest pickup on the planet for a while.
Photo: Ford
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Second-Gen F-150 SVT Lightning
The original Lightning went away after the 1995 model year, but Ford brought it back in 1999 better than ever. This time, the SVT team cooked up something extra special by fitting the speedy pickup with a supercharged 5.4L V8 producing 360 horsepower (380 starting in 2001). Once again, however, when the F-150 was redesigned in 2004, Ford chose not to bring the Lightning back, and it's been gone from our lives ever since.
Photo: Ford
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Ford F-150 Saleen S331
Steve Saleen built his entire company around modifying Mustangs, but he's built a few awesome Ford trucks, too, including the F-150 Saleen S331. The 2007 S331 picked up where the Lightning left off, sporting a host of suspension mods, a body kit, giant wheels, and an optional supercharger upgrade that helped the truck make 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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Roush F-150 Stage 3
Like Saleen, Roush has been modifying Mustangs and F-150s for many years now, and the 2007 Roush F-150 Stage 3 was one of the best of its era. Like the S331, this pickup packed a supercharger on top of its 5.4L V8 that helped it crank out 445 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque to go along with some very Shelby-like looks.
Photo: Autoweek
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Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition
Ford offered the F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition as an option package from 2000-2011. But in 2002 and 2003, the pickup came packing a slightly detuned version of the SVT Lightning's supercharged 5.4L V8, which made it extra special. That pickup produced a very respectable 340 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, and as it was produced in limited quantities, is worth seeking out today.
Photo: Ford
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Ford F-150 Foose Edition
Rounding out our list of cool Ford performance trucks is the 2008 Foose Edition F-150, which paid homage to legendary hot rod designer Chip Foose. Aside from being lowered and wearing a smooth, shaved body and unique graphics, the Foose Edition was also packing a supercharged 5.4L V8 that produced a stout 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque.
Photo: Ford
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For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section of Ford-trucks.com.
