Return of the F-150 Lightning with the engine and styling influence from the new Shelby Mustang would be legendary.
Ford truck fans and lovers of high performance street trucks have been begging for a modern rendition of the F-150 SVT Lightning basically since the last version was discontinued. Although the Raptor offers quite a bit more power than the last Lightning, not everyone wants a high-performance off-road truck to take to the drag strip or carve through the local canyons. That is why, even with the success of the Raptor, F-150 fans continue to call for a modern-day Lightning.

In the past few years, those proponents of a new Lightning suggested that Ford Performance apply their supercharged package to a short bed, short cab F-150 with the 5.0-liter V8, lifting the output up near 700 horsepower. However, with the arrival of the new Shelby GT500 Mustang, we see an opportunity for the Ford Motor Company to roll out a half-ton truck that will comfortably battle the upcoming Hellcat-powered Ram 1500.

Today, with the help of graphic artists, we bring you a look at what is envisioned as a GT500-inspired Ford F-150 Lightning.

The Nuts and Bolts
First, the basics of the GT500-inspired F-150 Lightning would be an array of items that you can’t see from the outside, starting with the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 from the new Shelby Mustang. With 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, this would be the most powerful production road truck ever sold anywhere in the world. Ford could adjust that engine to provide a stronger low-end torque blast, so we could see a slight reduction in horsepower and an increase in torque for the truck version of the engine, but even with something like 740 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, this truck would be a total monster.

All of that power would be sent to the rear wheels by means of the 10-speed automatic transmission from the rest of the F-150 lineup, rather than the Tremec dual-clutch in the GT500. Four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive would make traction a bit easier, but for a proper Lightning, we expect a low-riding, rear-drive pickup. Beyond those wheels would be the same massive Brembo stoppers that are featured on the newest Shelby Mustang.

Exterior Design
Although short bed, short cab pickups are fading from the landscape a bit, a proper Lightning should be a two-door truck in the smallest, lightest configuration. As mentioned above, it would sit considerably lower than any other production Ford truck on sale today, with the body hovering over a set of 20-inch carbon fiber wheels, similar to those seen on the GT500. This stance would be aided by a set of rocker skirts that extend down between the wheels, which are part of the Shelby-inspired body kit.

Up front, we envision front fascia that is similar to the Raptor, but where the Raptor bumper is trimmed to yield a better approach angle, the Lightning bumper will be designed to offer better aerodynamics and engine cooling air flow. The front fascia will extend from the grille and headlights, down past the tires, with the small outer vents of the Raptor extending towards the ground while the Lightning’s center vent would travel down through the area where the Raptor has a skid plate.

As for the grille itself, we imagine that Ford would keep a similar design to that used on the Raptor, which allows for plenty of air flow while also leaving no question that this is a high performance F-150. Above the grille would be a hood with a raised portion, similar to the design of the GT500, allowing lots of hot air to escape the engine bay at speed.

The back end would have a body-colored rear bumper that has two gaps along the bottom edge, each of which would hold two five-inch exhaust tips, similar to those on the GT500. To improve aerodynamics, a hard tonneau cover with a low-riding integrated spoiler would be standard, but we don’t foresee Ford bringing back the “flare side” bed design for the new Lightning.

Finally, the classic Lightning font logo would be located on the fenders and the tailgate where the rest of the F-150 badging is found but we would also want a big, flashy graphics package with “Lightning” emblazoned on the bedsides.

In the long run, this GT500-inspired Ford F-150 Lightning would offer more of the Shelby performance than a similar appearance, but this lowered half-ton with huge wheels, huge brakes, an aggressive body kit and the supercharged V8 would be the baddest truck to ever grace the assembly line.

Of course, this is only a rendering based on our imagination, but Ford has all of the bits and pieces to make one amazing F-150 Lightning.