F-150 Rod Concept

Photo: Ford

CHICAGO - The Ford F-150 Lightning Rod strikes at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show. Its hard-core, tattooed appearance is inspired by the resurgence of rock-and-roll and the current fascination with body art.

The Lightning Rod is an F-150 pick-up truck - the number-one-selling full-size pick-up for the past 23 years - which has been lowered and stretched. The roof has been chopped one-inch, the overhangs have been shortened, and the exterior body panels have been cleaned up and finished in a cherry red metallic paint giving the Lightning Rod a sleek, hot-rod, performance look.

"Lightning Rod draws from the passion of the muscle cars of the 1960's, the hot rod industry and the current body art craze to take America's best selling pick-up to a new level of performance excitement," said Ed Golden, Executive Director of North American Ford Brand Design. "It's just another example of how our versatile truck line-up can be personally customized to take on any kind of lifestyle."

The conventional headlamps and taillamps have been replaced with twin horizontal neon tubes. A deeply recessed custom aluminum grille features horizontal bars and is reminiscent of the popular muscle cars of the 1960s. The prominent powerdome on the hood hints at the possibility of enhanced powertrain performance.

A faster windscreen and hidden windshield wipers are in line with the clean, uncluttered exterior look. Lightning Rod features a stainless steel, dual straight-pipe exhaust system that exits from underneath a rollpan at the rear of the vehicle.
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Interior of the F-150 Rod Concept

Photo: Ford

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"In Maori culture, an elegantly tattooed face was a great source of pride to a warrior, for it made him fierce in battle," said Golden. "The F-150 has a great history and has consistently been the leader among full-size pick-ups - it is certainly fierce in battle."

Lightning Rod's strong wheel arches house custom Goodyear - 295/40 R20 tires in the front and 305/40 R20 tires in the rear - which carry the Maori tattoo theme to the treads. The rear tires are slightly bigger, supporting the hot rod feel of the pick-up. The five-spoke custom-designed 20-inch cast aluminum wheels are a medium gray, satin finish.

The cherry red exterior color is carried through to the interior. The leather-wrapped dashboard features an exposed, natural aluminum color instrument panel that houses only the bare essential instruments. The three-spoke milled aluminum steering wheel is partially wrapped in red leather.

The Maori tattoo theme is carried through to the leather-wrapped bucket seats and headliner. The die cut pattern is filled in with the same black cow hair as the tonneau cover.

Lighting Rod is powered by a supercharged 5.4L SOHC Triton™ V-8 that produces 380 hp at 4750 rpm, and 450 lb.-ft. of torque at 3000 rpm.

(Feb. 4, 2001)