---
title: "Here’s How a Stock 1995 Ford Lightning With 151,000 Miles Holds Up on the Dyno"
description: "26 years of abuse don't mean much to Ford's sport truck icon."
date: "2021-03-29"
modified: "2021-03-29"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/39977/heres-how-a-stock-1995-ford-lightning-with-151000-miles-holds-up-on-the-dyno"
categories:
  - "Ford News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Trucks"
tags:
  - "Ford"
  - "vintage"
---

# Here’s How a Stock 1995 Ford Lightning With 151,000 Miles Holds Up on the Dyno

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/03/1995-ford-f-150-svt-lightning-dyno.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Though less powerful than even the smallest, 2.7-liter EcoBoost-powered 2021 Ford F-150, the original SVT Lightning remains a perfectly respectable sport truck. Powered by a 5.8-liter Windsor V8, the Lightning's 240 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque made it stealthily superior to some of the era's sport compacts, scrambling from zero to 60 in a reported 7.2 seconds, and down the quarter mile quicker than that year's Honda Civic Si. So, though standards for performance trucks have been skewed by the likes of the [Ram TRX](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/37223/2021-ram-1500-trx-review-this-702-hp-factory-super-truck-is-the-new-king-of-the-hill>) and all the trucks it upstaged, the Lightning's performance has remained steadfast, as demonstrated by a 151,000-mile example recently tested on a dyno.

Tested by Ford performance parts retailer [Late Model Restoration](<https://lmr.com/Ford-Lightning?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=ProductLinks&utm_campaign=Gen1Lightning>), the 1995 Lightning shown here was a well-traveled, mostly stock specimen save for a Bassani mid-pipe and cat-back. Though these would've freed up a smidge extra power, they wouldn't have made up for the wear of 151,609 miles indicated on its odometer—had those miles taken any toll on the [Lightning](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27370/2019-ford-f-150-lightning-tribute-trucks-with-650-hp-supercharged-v-8-listed-for-52k>), that is.

![message-editor%2F1617043586609-fordsvtf-150lightning.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1617043586609-fordsvtf-150lightning.jpg>)
*1995 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning, *YouTube | Late Model Restoration**

Run on a Dynojet chassis dyno, the Lightning laid down 210 horsepower and 275 torque as measured at the wheel, en route to which a few (but not many) got lost. A fine showing from the truck that—along with the Chevrolet C1500 454 SS—helped establish the market for full-size performance trucks, without which we might have never gotten trucks like the Chevy SSR, [Dodge Ram SRT-10](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38367/these-are-the-best-special-edition-pickup-trucks-ever-made>), or eventually, Ford F-150 Raptor or Ram TRX. Owners of the most powerful production pickup truck in history might not like to admit it, but they owe a lot to the original, [Lady Gaga-approved](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27027/did-you-know-lady-gaga-drives-a-1993-ford-f-150-svt-lightning>) Lightning.

https://youtube.com/embed/jWKZalacft4

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)