im starting to save now. if these things will be in available in sept i am getting an early x-mas present for sure :D. the only thing i dont like is the yellow interior. hopefully there will be other otptions as far as interior color goes. but everything else is awesome. i especially like that A/C cooled coolant feature. :drool:

I find this truck really exciting.. How in the hell am I gonna get rid of my True Blue......... No Im not gonna trade It.. but I will probley have a new 2004... Lov it............

PEaCE....................

Those intake tubes look like the ones JDM had on his 99L.

Damn nice 04L, I want one. I'll wait and get a 05 or 06 L. Let Ford work the bugs out.

I like the changes Ford is making to the Gen 3 L's but I have a hard time believing that Ford will keep them under 40K. Anyone know when they are scheduled to hit the market?

How
 

heavy will the L version be ?

I have dreams of under 4500 lbs...

When the current F-150 came out, plenty of people thought it was butt-ugly too....but it grew on us :D I'll be holding out for the second year of production on this one..

I wonder what the HD will get as an engine??

Is it just me, or is the styling of the new Lightning concept more appropriate for something from the GM model range? Don't get me wrong - this is a cool truck! I like the overall design when I consider it as an individual styling exercise (in a vacuum by itself), but I'd be stretching my imagination if I said it looked like it belonged to the Lightning or even Ford F150 "family." Maybe I am analyzing the design too critically, but I think the new Lightning's sharp edges and creases more closely resemble a Cadillac Escalade or CTS, than any Ford I know (the Focus maybe). Which really bothers me for some reason. I've always enjoyed the expression of "heritage" in a vehicle, where the next model generation carries over some styling cues from the previous one. Not that the Gen 2 borrows many design elements from the Gen 1, but this 3rd gen has really dropped the soft muscular shoulders of the Gen 2 in favor of cold, chiseled corners. Too bad because I think a lot of people really liked the sexy curves of the Gen 2 design. But I guess I'd have to blame the basic F150 redesign for getting more edgy - the SVT stylists only had so much to work with this time around. :( The regular F150 doesn't look half-bad, but the SVT version is a little too crisp.

For those that don't see what I'm talking about, consider the following photochops I made and decide or youself if this thread could have just as easily been titled "2004 Cadillac Truck Pics!"

http://www.gearfx.com/ford/escalade.jpg

http://www.gearfx.com/ford/escalade2.jpg

Couple more based on the Cadillac CTS look...

http://www.gearfx.com/ford/cts.jpg

http://www.gearfx.com/ford/cts2.jpg

Hey BMWBig6 can you put a cadillac front end of my truck? jk

Those Lightnings are sweet,

OMFG, Those pics are Orgasmic, What the hell do I do now take my Harley, Lightning or keep the Navigator until the 04's come out. I saved a pic for my desk top.

Pat/ Bluelightning

P.S

I just figured it out, I' am going to lease my 03 for 6 Months if they will do it.

Those are picture of the 2005 Lightning CONCEPT .....

This belongs in the 2004 forum

Doug
( from detroit )

BMWBig6,

Very well put, I agree 100 %
From what the concept shows, I prefer the "smoothness" of our gen 2's. I liked the gen 2's look as soon as they came out and I still like it today.
However, I do like the interior and larger wheels/tires combo changes.

Personally, I like the changes being made for the 2005 Lightning. This is a concept so you all have to get realistic here. You really think they are going to put 22's on a sports truck? Do you really think Ford is going to put a complete polished engine costing thousands extra? Or the yellow seats? Please!!!

I see the 2005 Lightning keeping several attributes of this concept including the power increase (we already know the 2004's have the 24 valve), the new exterior cues which resemble the new expy, the new interior which is similar to that being put on the 2004 F150's (apart from the yellow seats which won't make it into production) and a 5 speed automatic.

Now with the price issue, I am guessing somewhere around $36, 750 - We will have to wait and see, because we all know everything right now is still pretty much speculation.

Ooo, I'm starting to really like this new Lightning...

but is it just me, or does the lines of the prototype harken back to the GMC Syclone, especially around the rear wheel wells.

Misc. Jottings
 

First, I am going to get one. I have no regrets having leased my Blackwood, but I miss my Lightning just about every day. Just could not see leasing or buying an 02 that was very similar to the 99.

It took me a while but I figured out how I am going to do it. I am leasing a Focus wagon that was ex son in law/ex store managers car which I passed on to the daughter till she gets her act together again. When that lease is up, I will put the lease payment amount into a separate bank account to start saving for the new L:D Im betting it is an 05 year model.

As to the "concept" vehicle we are all drooling over, my thoughts are sort of like this. Price at least $40K if they do the DOHC and either the manual or 5 speed automatic. I doubt seriously if the IRS makes it into the production model, personal opinion only.

The motor looks totally sweet in that photo, but if you blow it up and print it off and then go compare with a real motor in a real truck, it just doesn't pass muster. My L is gone but I do have the
Gator motor in my Wood so checked that out. In the photo, I can identify that there is no battery, no w/s washer reservoir and plumbing, no overflow bottle for the radiator, no evidence of oil or trans dipsticks, no power steering reservoir and.......well the list just goes on. I will still frame the photo though.

I don't get too worked up over what is presented at a major auto show as a concept vehicle in terms of details like the cladding and the interior. They are usually way outside the box on purpose. Besides, speaking for myself, I drove Volvos and SAABs from 1968 to 1991 when I worked for those two companies so to me looks are sort of relative. Matter of fact, my Wood is no styling tour de force either. I would also doubt the chopped top will make it and it would cost a ton to get rid of the half door in the rear no matter what SVT would really rather have in production.

To return to the 6 speed/IRS combo, we should perhaps remember we have routinely trashed any other manufacturer that wanted to offer either or both with a 500 or so hp motor because of driveability issues. I will take it either way and live with it whatever we get but a bulletproof 5 speed auto would not displease me at all.

To bottom line something here, this year and this round of auto shows and what actually gets built out of the concept stable may be Ford's last best chance to get back into the game. Bob Lutz has set GM on it's ear and will have several cars in production very soon (Holden/Pontiac GTO, Pontiac Solstice etc.). Chrysler is still a company with a mission and pissed off Germans can accomplish some pretty good stuff. I hope Ford has the cojones to put some of this stuff on the road and to not give in to the beancounters on the details.
Bill