Mustang with a Bed: 1993 Ford F-150 Lightning Road Test

You’re right, it’s not a Mustang, but back in the day it was dang-near as fast as one! The press deemed it, “The Mustang with a Bed”, and when the original Ford Lightning hit the streets back in 1993, it was the king of the muscle trucks. Thanks to uprated suspension, brakes, exterior/interior additions, a 351W motor fortified with GT40 heads/intake manifold and better exhaust manifolds, the almighty Lightning saw power increases from the stock 200 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of a regular F-150, to 240 hp and 340 lb-ft.

The result was a 7.2-second sprint to 60 mph from a standstill, but this hauler could, well, still haul … 700 pounds in the bed and 5,000 pounds of trailer.

Are you a first-generation Lightning fan? Head to the forum to talk about “The Mustang With a Bed”.

Here’s the kicker: the Lightning package only added $2,846 to a regular F-150 for a grand total price of … wait for it, $21,602. That’s $35,510 in today’s money. Can you believe that? Clean used examples are fetching close to the original MSRP over two decades later. Can you imagine if there were a new F-150 Lighting selling today for $40,000 with the same powerplant as a Shelby GT 500? Hell, even the $55,000 that it would realistically cost seems reasonable for a 662-horsepower terror truck.