SVT Ranger Gets Powerful Lightning Engine

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【Summary】Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) once created a performance truck using off-the-shelf parts to keep costs down. The SVT Ranger featured a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine from the SVT Lightning, with modifications resulting in 420 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. The frame was reinforced, the suspension was lowered, and various components from the Lightning were used.

FutureCar Staff Sep 03, 2023 9:26 AM PT

SVT Ranger Gets Powerful Lightning Engine

Performance pickups used to be a popular choice among enthusiasts. In the early 1990s, the Chevy 454 SS and the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner in the early 2000s offered sports car-like performance in the truck segment. However, there was one performance truck that stood out in an unexpected way.

In 2003, Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) engineers decided to work on a regular cab Ranger Flareside powered by a 2.4-liter I4 engine. The goal was to create a performance truck using off-the-shelf parts to keep costs down, in case it received approval for production. The team had their eyes set on the 5.4-liter, 380 horsepower supercharged V8 engine from the SVT Lightning. With modifications to the induction system and exhaust, the Ranger achieved even more power than the stock Lightning, boasting 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 by two inches, and control arms and steering knuckles were borrowed from the SVT Lightning. The truck was also equipped with a 3.73 rear axle from the Lightning, 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, and a heavy-duty transmission from the F-Series pickups.

The interior of the SVT Ranger remained mostly stock, except for some custom leather seats featuring yellow lightning bolts and body color trim on the doors. The result was an impressive little pickup truck. Motor Trend tested it and recorded a quarter-mile time of 13.8 seconds at 108 mph, while MotorWeek achieved 13.5 seconds at 101 mph.

Despite the success of the SVT Ranger prototype, Ford had no plans to put it into production. According to Tom Scarpello, the head of SVT sales and marketing at the time, there was no room for two performance trucks in the lineup. It is speculated that Ford didn't want the smaller vehicle to outperform its bigger sibling, similar to the situation between the Porsche 911 and Cayman. Nevertheless, it's intriguing to imagine what could have been if Ford had given us an SVT Ranger with such impressive power. Vehicles like that have the potential to shape automakers and their lineups for generations to come.