What has happened to its grunt over the years?
Dyno runs can be a nerve-wracking experience for all involved. No matter how much work you put into your car, the rolling road will give you an accurate reading of how much horsepower it’s putting down to the tires. Late model Restoration just put a 1995 Ford F-150 Lightning with more than 151,000 miles on the dyno. To find out its horsepower in 2021,
The Blue Oval pickup was powered by the same 5.8-liter V8 as the Mustang Cobra. It produced a modest 240 horsepower (179 kilowatts) in its prime. Similar to the Cobra, Ford’s Special Vehicle Team made minor modifications to the motor in order to increase power and improve throttle response. These modifications were limited to cam profiles and aluminum cylinder heads. However, they still managed to pack a punch.
The ’95 pickup produced 210 horsepower (156.6 kilowatts) during the dyno test. As if that weren’t enough, the pull was done in second gear to reduce any problems with the automatic transmission changing gear. This will slightly decrease the power output.
Ford’s E40D electronic 4-speed automatic transmission was fitted to the vehicle. This modified version is available here. SVT had to make some adjustments to accommodate the increased torque offered by the Cobra Mustang.
With the Raptor so hot at the moment it seems like lightning won’t strike again anytime soon. It’s great to see such a punchy and honest pickup continue to live.