Blown V8 4WD Midsize Muscle Truck: The Baby SVT Lightning That Never Happened

• July 7, 2021
• Story By
  Mike Garrett

With the recent debut of Ford's new Maverick pickup, there's been some some speculation, or at least some wishful imagining, over the possibility of a high performance variant of the new small truck.

While it would certainly be a niche product, the idea of a Maverick loaded up with hardware similar to that of the old Focus RS would be pretty great to see.

The possibility also got us thinking of another time Ford experimented with the idea of a smaller, high performance four-door pickup truck concept from over 15 years ago. 

Sport Trac's Shot of SVT Adrenalin

It was called the SVT Sport Trac Aderenalin and it was shown at the 2005 New York Auto Show. It was built out of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac pickup which was sold between 2001 and 2010, slotting between the small Ranger and the F-150.

And while the second gen Sport Trac could be optioned with a SOHC 4.6 liter V8 engine, the SVT concept took things even further, with an engine similar to that of the 2003-2004 Mustang Cobra—a DOHC 4.6L V8 with a roots supercharger.

It made 390hp and 390 pound feet of torque and was mounted to a six-speed automatic transmission which sent power to all four wheels. 

The Adrenalin also featured a lowered stance, unique styling and a set of a massive 21-inch wheels and tires that filled out its fenders nicely. 

F-150 Lightning Replacement?

If all this reminds you a lot of the second generation SVT Lightning, that's because it was seen as a replacement for that truck. And with its four-doors and AWD system it likely would have found plenty of buyers.

Sadly the Adrenalin never moved beyond the concept stage, and by the time the auto industry had recovered from its late 2000s market crash, tastes had shifted away from street performance trucks and toward off-road stuff like the F-150 Raptor.

However, with the incoming Ford Maverick it's hard not to think about the possibilities of a Maverick ST or Maverick RS with big EcoBoost power going to all four-wheels.