Believe it or not, when this mean-looking machine was launched back in the day by Ford together with Harley Davidson, it was the coolest thing in the truck world.
To top it off, this particular example was the first one ever built, and it came with some bespoke traits commissioned by gearhead and car collector Jay Leno.
A sports, high-powered F150 wasn’t unheard of, especially as the American car manufacturer actually offered the SVT Lightning trim for the model in the early 1990s; even so, the affiliation with Harley Davidson – together with Jay Leno’s custom mods – laid the foundation to a vehicle concept that lasted for 12 years.
Nevertheless, this superb black unit remains a one-of-a-kind creation, partly due to its “first-one-ever-built” status, and partly because it was bought (and owned) by Jay Leno after he made a deal with Ford to make it a little bit more powerful. So, Ford obliged (who wouldn’t?) and installed a supercharger on top of the 5.4-litre Triton V8, which made the car chug out around 360 horses. Mind you, Ford eventually began offering a supercharged variant for the Harley-Davidson enhanced version, but with a slightly larger pulley to reduce boost.
That said, this truck – featuring design elements available only for the Harley Davidson special edition, like the orange pin-striping and badging, and 20-inch styled chrome wheels – remains a unique, powerful machine which can be considered a prototype.
Furthermore, Jay Leno partnered up with Ford to offer the F150 for sale from his personal collection at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. The car is offered without reserve, with all proceeds to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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