2019 FCP F-150 Superquake is a Modern Lightning by Another Name
The SVT Lightning had two doors and a supercharged V8, but it never had the 650 horsepower that the Superquake cranks out.
There are certain combinations that just work. Peanut butter and jelly is one of the most well known. And there’s nothing quite as satisfying as peace and quiet. In the automotive world, a single-cab F-150 with a powerful V8 is a match made in horsepower heaven. The Ford F-150 SVT Lightning is the most famous example of that pairing, but that hasn’t been around in 15 years. Ford sort of got back into the game with the last-generation F-150 Tremor, but they gave it a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 instead of a supercharged V8. Over the years, many other companies and even dealerships have created their own takes on the little-truck-with-a-big-engine formula. The one you see here is called the Superquake.
It comes from Champaign Ford City in Champaign, Illinois. Performance sales manager Todd Barrowman explains what he and his crew were going for. “We try to build this truck as if Ford was building a supertruck today” (ahem, Lightning!).
We’d say they succeeded. Ford City Performance (FCP) started with a Race Red 2019 F-150 XL Regular Cab with the 5.0-liter V8. They threw out the plain old XL grille and replaced it with the Race Red/glossy black mesh grille from an STX truck. They also replaced the lower front fascia with one that allows more air to flow into the intercooler.
That’s part of what puts the “Super” into “Superquake.” The Coyote V8 is connected to a Ford Performance Roush supercharger that raises output to a Camaro ZL1-rivaling 650 horsepower. In an obvious nod to the Lightning, FCP added a dual-tip side exhaust.
The Superquake sits closer to the road on a lowered suspension and a set of gunmetal 22-inch wheels wrapped in aggressive-looking rubber. A 3.55 rear end with locking differential puts the blown 5.0’s ground-shaking power to the pavement.
FCP even went through the trouble of having custom stickers and badges made for the Superquake. The low-profile front fender badges keep the same general look of the original Ford pieces, but use matte and gloss black, silver, and red to tell onlookers that they’re getting an eyeful of an FCP Edition F-150. On the bedsides, there are “Superquake” vinyls. If they look a little familiar, there’s a good reason for that. Barrowman says that he and his team “basically used the same font as the old F-150 Tremors” for them.
The interior is pretty much standard F-150 XL: cloth bench seat, small center screen, and a column shifter for the 10-speed automatic. There is satellite radio, though. But it’s easy to forget about that once Barrowman fires up the supercharged V8. That side pipe lets out a nice, low snarl. Barrowman says, “These trucks are kind of built to be in your face, a little bit obnoxious. You know, they’re not tame.”
We’re OK with that. We love the Raptor, but the world could use some more wild Ford trucks that are built for the street.
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