Ford’s ‘Dead Truck’ Revived in Florida
Fifty Lightning SVTs Showcased at Rally that Drew Drivers from as Far as 2,5000 Miles Away to Celebrate Defunct Model
Florida welcomed fans of Ford’s Lightning SVT at a well-attended rally last month. And one owner of the vintage F-150 truck revealed that he traveled “2,500 miles door-to-door” to get to the now-annual event.
The 2017 Florida Lightning Meet took place in Sanford, Florida, where attendees shared stories of the Lightning SVT’s golden days and showed off their modified rides. Nearly 50 Lightning trucks were present, representing from states and cities across the south.
Out of the 50 rides, there were a few SVTs that truly stood out, including Eric Gray‘s 2003 Ford Lightning SVT, which is featured in the main image above.
“I built this truck so that the way I drive it in street form [means] I can drive to the track, run a 10.8 to 10.9 on street wheels at 5,000 pounds, and [then] turn around and drive it home,” Gray told Ford Muscle about his modified ride that includes a built motor, a Whipple 2.4-liter supercharger and even a shaved antenna. “The drive is what it’s about for me.”
Later, Gray showed his appreciation of the event with a comment below coverage of the 2017 Lightning/Harley-Davidson Meet on Ford Muscle’s site, writing, “It’s nice that social media cares about a dead truck.”
We echo Gray’s sentiments about the Lightning SVT, which Ford produced in limited numbers—under 40,000 total—before stopping production in 2004 to focus on developing other performance models in the Ford trucks lineup.
‘It’s nice that social media cares about a dead truck.’
A few years ago, Ford fan Tommy McGee formed the Florida Lightning Meet, a grassroots rally that began sporadically but has been steadily growing in popularity.
“About three years ago, we did the [previous] one at Old Town, [a Kissimmee, Florida, tourist area],” McGee tells Ford Muscle. “It was dumping rain and about five or six trucks showed up. So, I took it over and changed it up. Went to Daytona last year and had about 70 trucks. More people started to get interested in it and now I am changing it up every year to a different venue because this [event] is some peoples’ vacation.”
As loyal fans of this historic Ford truck, we are eagerly looking forward to McGee’s next Lightning meetup, which will take place in February 2018. Don’t miss it!
Photos: Ford Muscle, Facebook