Turning modern versions into old versions of their old self is a risky endeavor. We all want the flawless styling of vintage cars with the modern reliability and comfort of new vehicles. It is an almost universal desire. However, it rarely works. There is something in the natural order of our world that is preventing it. Once in the blue moon, it works, but it takes incredible flair and skill to pull it off. This vintage glow looks devoid of these two key ingredients. It looks, one way or another, less like a vintage Ford F-150 than it does like a modern car.
What happened to the custom Ford F-150 Lightning?
While the urge to make a modern, vintage-inspired truck is hard to resist, it’s efforts like this one that prove why we should. Let me be clear; It’s not that the truck that bad; The problem is that it’s almost as good, but it doesn’t quite work.
Reports indicate that the Ford dealership in Waconda, Illinois, has completely redecorated the exterior of the new Ford F-150 Lightning. Custom work features a red and white paint job. It even matches the interior in red quilted leather.
Another hard-to-miss custom work was the heap of chrome accents that could be. They covered this truck in chrome like it was a blanket; Everything from the mirror caps to the door handles, badges, and even the Lightning script on the fenders was hit with the shiny stuff.
Who wants a “classic” Ford Lightning?
The Drive wonders out loud who this might be. It’s a good question. If the Boomer Generation is less likely to buy an EV, then accordingly, why dress up an EV to look like the trucks this demographic grew up with? Maybe they thought he could deceive them?
In one sense, the work has been done meticulously enough to warrant a certain level of respect. On the other hand, none of it really works. The giant red web is a complete departure from the old attempt. It totally pulls you out of the effort. Not to mention that you could draw a cat with giraffe spots, but that wouldn’t make her look like one. This truck clearly resembles the Ford F-150 Lightning with an old, misfit paint design. The problem here is that some people at Ford worked really hard to make this paint design work for the body of the truck it was designed for. Not that truck. Not a single design element is similar even to the old Ford F-150 of the 60’s and 70’s.
Just buy an old truck
As we said earlier, the desire to make a new car look like an old one is in many of us. However, most of us, fortunately, resist this impulse to cheat the car’s fate. This truck is a perfect example of why it’s so rare to run; The two body styles are completely different, and our brains are screaming at us every time we see them. Following the lead of The Drive, I would prefer to keep the number of times I see this truck to zero if at all possible.
