Under the Radar – All There is to Know About the First Generation Lightning

Kicking off life in 1999, the second-generation SVT Lightning is the Lightning that most people know of. When the nameplate is brought up, this is the truck that the majority will picture in their heads. However, as it’s the second generation, it wasn’t where it would all begin. Instead, back 1993, SVT would produce a run of trucks through 1995 that were really something special.

The truck would be designed to go head-to-head with some of the competitors in General Motors. At the time, the GMC Syclone and Typhoon came on the scene with a heavy fist. Ford wanted to retaliate and this is what they came up with. In their own words, as we hear in this video from Late Model Restoration, Ford describes the truck as a “Ford Mustang with a cargo bed.”

Long story short, this truck can really be traced back to the roots of pickup truck performance. The community has certainly taken off in recent years but it has taken a while to get the ball rolling. However, there were several brands taking aim at getting things going with the segment back in the early 90s.

By following along with the video below, we hear a brief history of what exactly one could expect out of the first-generation Lightning. It seems as if this truck has sort of been swept under the rug a little bit as the second generation has really taken the limelight.

They might not look all that different from a traditional pickup truck on the outside. However, as we dig deeper, the guys over at LMR show us that there are tons of hidden features onboard that really make these trucks special.

As the years go on, though, we would venture to think that the truck that started it all in the Ford Camp will eventually become a collectible. We would probably keep an eye on what these things are bringing at auction.

For those looking to hop on to purchase one of these bad boys, the prices still seem to be relatively reasonable.