After seeing a few of the new Lightnings driving around, we were eager to get a chance for some "up close and personal" time.  Well, we have a friend, Patrick Martin, who recently took delivery of a 2000 Lightning and was more than willing to let us "crawl all over it".  This is one of very few Black Beauty's we've seen running around and it's absolutely stunning in person.  Below you'll find some cool pictures and some really nice videos.  Hope you enjoy!!

Pictures

The Outside:  I think Ford has made just the right number of changes to the exterior to let you know this isn't a standard truck.  The curves, stance, wheels, tires..... all say "let's go".

The Engine:  This is one nice package.  5.4 liters (330 cubic inches for us backward types), 8 psi of boost (although on our test runs, it looked closer to 10 psi), 360 horsepower, 410 ft-lbs torque... nothing but smooth power.  Kind of like taking off in a large airliner.  Initially, the soft launch is deceiving until you look at the speedo and see digits that would give your insurance agent fits.  Given how this power plant moves this chassis, we'd love to see it as a production option in the Mustang.  The blower is by Eaton and makes a really nice "howl" at full boil.  The intercooler is an "air-to-water" variety and does a good job of keeping intake air temps down.  The section that cools the intake air is sandwiched somewhere down below the intake manifold.  This thing charges right up to the 5,250 rpm red-line before shifting and doing it all over again.  It seems like Ford's official number of 14.6 @ 97 MPH may be a bit conservative, given that Patrick ran a 15.0 ET at an altitude of 5,250 feet while launching at idle.

The Interior:  Inside, the "truck" feels more like a roomy Mustang.  This is the kind of place you could spend hours during a cross-country run without problem.  Very nice.

Drive Train:  Nice wheels and tires.  This thing handles like it weighs 3,500 lbs rather than its' 4,670 lb curb weight.  The most amazing part is the ride quality.  We were amazed at how smoothly the Lightning covers city streets while still handling so well.  And the exhaust note is just right... could be a little louder, but it's just fine.  Ford's done their homework.  One interesting change would be to swap the 3.55 gears for some 4.10's.... so, hey, Patrick.....

Videos