You Can Still Save This Faded 1993 Ford Lightning If Electric Trucks Aren’t Your Thing
Sure, the paint’s bad. Yeah, maybe there’s some rust—but it’s got a V8.
Electric cars aren't everybody's thing; heck, the vast majority of cars on the road are powered by internal combustions engines and will be for a while. Ford's new electric F-150 is bound to tip the scales a bit, but if you're interested in a non-electric performance truck bearing the same name, well, Ford isn't pulling the Lightning moniker out of thin air.
The original Lightning was a gasoline-fueled performance version of the 1993 F-150 pickup, and there's one available for sale today at a pretty reasonable price if internal combustion is more your speed. Yes, it's a "barn find," so it's far from perfect, but there are some bright spots here.
The truck is for sale on Facebook Marketplace, but it was dug up by the crew at Barn Finds. It's been driven 135,000 miles and it's got some paint issues, but according to the seller it's all still there. You can see many of the "Lightning" graphics on the truck are a bit faded after nearly 30 years, and it looks like there might've been water dripping on the hood for a while as well.
All first-generation Lightnings were powered by a 240-horsepower, 351-cubic-inch IV8 mated to a heavy-duty four-speed automatic transmission. The trucks also got a revised chassis with changes made to the suspension and the frame, as well as a limited-slip rear end with 4.10 gears. This Lightning is located near the ocean in Atlantic City, New Jersey, so let's hope most of that frame is still there.
The bright spot of this truck is the interior, which judging by the admittedly few and questionably-framed pictures appears to be in good shape. It's probably pretty hard to get those custom-embroidered seats, and they look clean.
The price seems a bit steep at $6,500, as similar trucks in much better condition go from $10,000 to $20,000, so keep that in consideration. Bodywork will also definitely be required here judging by the rusty wheel arch, but hey, it's a barn find after all. There's a price to be paid for patina!
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: peter@thedrive.com
