Shared by @grunty_diecast (Instagram)
This is a '99 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. Designed by Andrew Jacobson and Bob Aikins, the Lightning was a high-performance version of the tenth generation Ford F-150. Quite possibly the fastest pickup of its day, the Lightning was powered by a Ford 5.4L supercharged Triton V8 paired with a 4-speed automatic, pumping out 360 BHP (later increased to 385). The Lightning was initially only offered in three colors: Bright Red, Black and Oxford White, although other color choices were added later. None of those color choices however were Champagne Gold as seen here. The trucks were solely manufactured at Ford of Canada at their Ontario plant which closed in 2004, not long after the Lightning ceased production. 28,124 were produced, of which 4,000 were 1999 models.
Now this casting was designed by Ryu Asada and introduced in the HW Hot Trucks sub-series in the mainline. This is currently the casting's only known release. This is not the first time Hot Wheels has done a Ford F-150 SVT Lightning; Hot Wheels initially did a 'Tooned version in 2003 designed by Dave Weise, and another the same year for the 100% Hot Wheels lineup. A fourth F-150 SVT Lightning casting also appears in the 2020 Fast & Furious Premium Series; it is however designed by Mark Jones and is slightly longer than this casting.
