We love a throwback, and we especially love when automakers make a sustainable ode to a beloved, classic car – which is precisely what Ford Motor Co. has done. The automaker, which recently announced a US$5.8 billion ($7.2 billion) plan to build new battery manufacturing plants as they shift towards an electric future, revealed an electrified take on their 1978 Ford F-100 pickup at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Tuesday.
The reimagined, zero emissions F-Series pickup dubbed the Eluminator features a battery-electric powertrain, twin front and rear electric traction motors, and 480 horsepower. In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, Mike Levine, Ford North America product communications director, said what we are all thinking – “It’s totally (expletive) bonkers.”
This unexpected reveal comes at a perfect time, as Ford ramps up production on its electric F-150 Lightning truck, which already has more than 160,000 reservations pending as of November 2. For the Eluminator, drivers can expect an interior design similar to the Mustang Mach-E GT, as well as the same powertrain used in a Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition.
As for Tuesday’s nostalgic reveal, the reimagined F-100 is “intended to spotlight the crate e-motor Ford is selling as an aftermarket product. It’s the front motor from the Mach-E GT performance edition.”