Two identical 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastbacks were used for the filming of the iconic movie “Bullitt”. They became so famous that Ford turned the name into a successful special edition of the Mustang, the last one that came out in 2018 being the third generation. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the 68 ponies, so why can’t there be a Bullitt version of the Ford F-150 Lightning?
No, really. Think about it. With three distinct generations, Bullitt is one of the biggest brands Ford has. There’s the first-gen 2001 model based on the SN-95 platform (4th Gen Mustang), followed by the 2008-2009 Bullitt based on the 5th Gen Mustang, which together have 12,165 examples sold. And they sold about 11,500 examples of the 2019 and 2020 models, which is the third Bullitt model.
If BMW can turn the M3’s success into a brand that includes SUVs such as the X5 M, why couldn’t Ford have a Bullitt Lightning? That’s right; this rendering is all about the 2001 SVT Lightning, based on the 10th Gen F-150 pickup. And we decided on that particular model year as a tribute to the Fast and Furious franchise because of the obvious San Francisco connection.
This set of renderings was created by Abimelec Design and puts a pickup spin on the classic 1968 blockbuster Bullitt. Instead of a 1968 Mustang GT and a Dodge Charger, we’ve got the F-150 Lightning chasing a Dodge Ram SRT-10. Doesn’t it feel like a crazy Fast and Furious spinoff?
Without the proper colors, these would just be two rival trucks from the 2000s, chasing each other. Dodge obviously offered black as an option for its Viper-powered pickup. The funny thing is that a 2001 F-150 could theoretically look like a Bullitt. The color would be Highland Green on the 1968 pony and “Dark Highland Green Clearcoat Metallic” for 10th Gen. However, that’s just for the normal pickup with high suspension, chrome bumpers and such. SVT Lightning models are usually red, sometimes silver or black.
What sets a Lightning apart from a regular F-150
The SVT Lightning we’re talking about here is the second generation, introduced in 1999 and offered until 2004. All of these sports trucks were based on the regular cab with a 6.5-foot bed and RWD. They were lowered by over an inch and had either Monroe or Bilstein shocks, as well as 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 directional tires developed specifically for this application.
Power came from the 5.4-liter Triton SOHC V8 fitted with an Eaton supercharger and intercooled, which delivered a combined 360 hp and 440 pound-feet of torque in 1999, boosted to 380 hp and 450 lb-ft by 2001. Car and Driver tested this version and got a 0 to 60 time of just 5.2 seconds.
That’s impressive even today. By comparison, the 2001 Bullitt had a 4.6-liter with 265 hp and 305 lb-ft. The most powerful SN-95 Mustang would obviously be the SVT Cobra, with between 320 and 390 hp, depending on the year.
