Ford’s supercharged SVT Lightning is back, sort of
Ford Performance Parts is offering a supercharger package for 2021–23 V-8-powered F-150s that packs 700 horsepower! For enthusiasts still mourning the loss of the 1999–2004 SVT Lightning, this “FP700” upgrade is likely the closest you’ll get.
As a street-oriented performance truck from the Blue Oval, it’s not a bad compromise.
Two versions will be available: the Black Edition with black bedside graphics, tailgate lettering, and 22-inch wheels; and the Bronze edition, with, well, all of that except in bronze. Both versions come with a black-painted grille and rear lowering shackles to remove the factory rake and level things out for a proper street-truck look.
But we’re not here for wheels and graphics. The really important bit is the 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger that sits atop the DOHC 5.0-liter V-8 and increases the engine’s output to 700 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The supercharger is 50-state emissions legal and comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty when installed by a Ford dealer or ASE-certified technician.
The package will be available on both 4×2 and 4×4 F-150s in all cab configurations—regular, SuperCab, and SuperCrew—in XL, XLT, Lariat, and Platinum trims, with both 5.5 -and 6.5-foot beds. That’s a huge swath of available trucks that are ripe for this serious boost in power!
Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8 has earned a strong reputation as both a truck and a performance engine, and its high-flowing cylinder heads make it a great candidate for forced induction. Not only do the intake valves allow for loads of air on the way in, but the free-flowing exhaust ports allow the spent combustion gasses an easy way out.
With the dealer-installed package available on new 2023 F-150s, buyers could likely roll the added cost right into financing. The SVT Lightning and Harley-Davidson edition F-150s offered a supercharged punch straight from the factory, but these FP700 packages deliver a lot more power. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing these brutes pop up on the street and at the local drag strip test and tune.
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This would be a real lightning, not the fake EV one.
Wait–the current F150 Lightning is a fake EV? I thought it was a real EV.
Yet the lightning EV will likely offer a more controlled and likely superior burst of speed. Still, I would prefer the fire breathing roar of the 700 HP Lightning.
As the owner of a gen 2 Lightning, this is cool and all but if I was buying this today, I’d need some show along with the go. The Lightning stands out, it’s crazy how many looks, thumbs up, honks I get every time I drive my truck and it’s not even mint. This is definitely cool for the sleeper crowd though.
Ford’s testing the waters on a Sport Truck like the original two generations of Lightning trucks started? Maybe there is some hope for those of us who find the need for a truck without 4-wheel drive but cornering enough that the winding roads can be enjoyed for cruising. Now all it needs is a third-generation sport truck graphic signifying ‘Lightning’ without the electric bolt.
My first-generation Lightning still has people praising it at least once a week and the value has just kept climbing over the last few years.