Over the years, Ford has built some amazing concept cars and near-production prototypes. Which one is the coolest? The guy who runs Ford’s Heritage Fleet thinks it is a blue Ford Lightning, and it’s tough to disagree.
This Lightning is the SVT Ranger Lightning Bolt, and it has a hopped-up version of the F-150 Lightning’s supercharged V8 under the hood.
Ford SVT Ran Rampant In The Early 2000s
2002 Ford Ranger SVT Lightning BoltFord
Ford SVT built this very special Ranger during its heyday. If you can’t tell the exact era by its Altezza-style taillights, then we’ll fill you in that it was 2002. If you can tell, then we’ll remind you it’s probably time to schedule some intrusive doctor visits.
The team took the 5.4-liter supercharged V8 that was under the hood of the F-150 Lightning and decided they wanted to cram it into the then low-dollar high-work Ranger pickup. But the standard Lightning’s 380 horsepower wasn’t enough, so the SVT team went at it to build that up to 420 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque.
SVT, Ford’s Special Vehicles Team, was about more than just horsepower, so it went at the suspension, too. The chassis was reinforced and much of the F-150’s suspension was modified to work on the smaller Ranger pickup. The donor Ranger used a 135 hp 2.3-liter four-cylinder, so it needed a whole lot of work and even a custom fuel cell.
“It feels like the forbidden act of choosing a ‘favorite child,’ but I can’t help it. I remember having a picture of the truck when I was growing up.”
– Matt Korczyk, Ford Heritage Fleet Manager
The result was a short-cab short-bed stepside with more than 400 horses. It had cool wheels, a rear bumper roll pan, and Lightning Bolt graphics designed just for the truck. The inside got Katzkin leather seats with a bolt, and the gauges were custom painted.
It weighed around half a ton less than the F-150. Combined with the two-inch lowering and gigantic (for the time) 345-wide rear tires – it sits on Mickey Thompson ET Street drag radials now – this truck could scoot. Tests from the time said it could run a 13-second quarter-mile, and it’s probably the only Ranger that wouldn’t fall flat on a road course.
What Else Lurks In The Ford Garage?
2002 Ford Ranger SVT Lightning BoltFord
Ford SVT was one of the predecessors to what is now Ford Performance. Back then, it got a new name every few years. SVT built the original 1993 Lightning as well as the SVT Cobra R Mustang, SVT Contour, and SVT Focus models, as well as the return of the GT500 for 2008.
Today, the truck’s curator is Matt Korczyk, Ford’s Heritage Fleet Manager. He looks after the more than 150 important cars and trucks that live in the company’s warehouse.
Korczyk says the Lightning Bolt has been his favorite for more than 20 years. “As a lifelong car guy, every time I walk into the Ford Heritage Fleet building, I have to pinch myself,” he said. “It should be impossible for me to choose a favorite… but the SVT Ranger Lightning Bolt is, without a doubt, my number one.”
Ford says it plans to let Korczyk give us more looks inside its Heritage Fleet, and we can’t wait to see what’s in there.
