MY MACHINES
1993 Ford F-150 Lightning #3605
Everybody knows that Sport Utility Vehicles are all the rage these days; everybody has to have one, and I'm no exception. My Sport Utility Vehicle is a black Ford F-150 Lightning performance truck. Most people would argue that my Lightning isn't an SUV at all, but I suppose that depends on your definition. My definition of Sport Utility Vehicle is a vehicle that accelerates and corners like a sportscar, has enough basic off-road capability to cover mild terrain, and allows me to throw a washer and dryer in the back or tow a parts car home. The Lightning does all of this without much breaking a sweat, which is rather more than I've heard for most Explorers, Blazers, or--God forbid--4-Runners, CRV's, or RAV-4's.
I bought the Lightning in September of 1998 in an attempt to preserve my failing loyalty to Ford on one hand and compensate for GM's complete inability to deliver the '98 Camaro SS that I'd ordered in March of that year. Insofar as trucks are concerned, it has done precisely these things, and quite capably. Within its category, this may be the most awesome vehicle that I possess, because it does things with capable ease that a 4,300 lb. full-size truck simply should not be able to do. It accelerates quite well—it can turn roughly 15.5 seconds in the quarter-mile—but handling is where it exceeds all expectation. In this big, black truck, I've found that I can take hard corners up to 10% faster than I could in my 5.0 Mustang.
In a 4,300 lb. full-size truck.
There's something wrong with that, but whatever it is, I'm addicted to it. Crazy as it sounds, take your pick of mid-level performance sedans and go head to head with one on a road course. You might find yourself surprised.
(I hope to have a photograph of the Lightning here at some point in the near future.)
Copyright © 2002, Troy Hunt. All rights reserved.