SVT Ranger Gets a Lightning Boost

Home > Industry Analysis > Content

【Summary】Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) once created a performance pickup truck using off-the-shelf parts, including a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine from the SVT Lightning. The modified Ford Ranger had 420 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, with a quarter-mile time of 13.8 seconds at 108 mph. Despite being a powerful and impressive vehicle, Ford did not have plans to mass-produce it due to concerns about competition with their other performance trucks.

FutureCar Staff Sep 01, 2023 9:20 AM PT

Performance pickups used to be a thing, with models like the Chevy 454 SS and the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner making waves in the enthusiast market. However, in 2003, Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) engineers decided to take things up a notch with their own performance truck.

They started with a regular cab Ranger Flareside powered by a 2.4-liter I4 engine. The goal was to create a high-performance truck using off-the-shelf parts to keep costs down. The team had their eyes set on the 5.4-liter 380 horsepower supercharged V8 from the SVT Lightning. With a modified induction system and exhaust, they were able to achieve even more power than the stock Lightning: 420 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque.

To handle the increased power, the frame rails of the Ranger were boxed and cross-braced for added stiffness. The suspension was lowered two inches, and control arms and steering knuckles were borrowed from the SVT Lightning. The truck also received a 3.73 rear axle, 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, and a heavy-duty transmission from the F-Series pickups.

Inside, the SVT Ranger mostly retained its stock interior, but custom leather seats with yellow lightning bolts and body color trim on the doors added a touch of uniqueness. The result was a small pickup with monstrous performance. In tests by Motor Trend and MotorWeek, the SVT Ranger ran the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds at 108 mph and 13.5 seconds at 101 mph, respectively.

Despite the impressive performance and cost-effective use of parts, SVT had no intentions of putting the SVT Ranger into production. According to Tom Scarpello, the head of SVT sales and marketing at the time, Ford claimed there was no room for two performance trucks in their lineup. It's possible that Ford didn't want the smaller vehicle to outshine its bigger sibling, the Lightning. Nevertheless, it's fun to imagine what could have been if Ford had given us an SVT Ranger with that much power. Such a vehicle could have left a lasting impact on automakers and their future lineups.