F-150 is returning to Aussie Ford dealers and we’re hoping this insane unofficial single-cab makes the grade
In the world of fantasy car renders, anything is possible – even a single-cab Ford F-150 Raptor Lighting with as much ground clearance as a Ferrari F40.
This excellent render was created by Jim, aka JLord8, who has a penchant for slammed high-performance single-cab pick-up trucks, and its nuggety proportions and outrageous stance give it plenty of attitude.
Based on the desert-duelling 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor, the body has been shortened, the rear doors removed and ground clearance slashed to create a street-wise all-American brawler.
Gone is the Raptor’s front bash plate, the Fox racing shocks and jacked-up ride height, replaced by street tyres, big alloy wheels and a super-low grass-cutting front splitter that would probably get crunched every time you back out of the drive-way.
But that’s beside the point. This is the sort of vehicle that tells the world you’re not content to pootle around in a Toyota HiLux SR5 with a set of aftermarket rims.
Indeed, it’s the kind of design that shows what’s possible when corporate considerations like profits and platform engineering restrictions are turfed.
We should also point out that the ‘Lightning’ part of the name is a throwback to the Ford Lighting, a red-hot tyre-shredding F-150 that was sold in the US between 1999 and 2004 that used a combustion engine, and not in fact the brand’s upcoming all-electric F-150 Lightning ute, which could be coming to Aussie Ford dealerships in future as part of the factory-backed local conversion program that kicks off next year.
The all-new Ford F-150 Lightning features a slightly different front-end design, featuring LED lights that span the full width of the pick-up truck’s square face.
Given this ute is a fantasy vehicle, you could pretend it’s propelled by a zero-emission powertrain, but its creator has included side pipes on one render, so it’s safe to assume it’s powered by the Raptor’s raucous 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (335kW/690Nm) or even the Ford F-150 Raptor R’s vociferous 5.2-litre supercharged V8.
The Raptor R’s engine is a development of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe’s donk, a 566kW and 847Nm power pump, which would provide the stubby two-door F-150 road rocket with enough power to run a small town for a week.
Alas, a vehicle like this ground-hugging Ford F-150 Raptor is unlikely to generate the sort of fervid customer demand that would see its business case debated within Blue Oval boardrooms in Detroit, with buyer tastes in the pick-up truck and ute segments consistently moving towards rugged off-road machines.
Image renders: JLord8
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Keyword: Slammed Ford F-150 Raptor Lightning is wicked