The ultimate in luxury custom convertible, armored vehicles, and automotive design and engineering. That’s how Newport Convertible Engineering describes itself and, from the looks of this particular example of the F-150 breed, the company ain’t kidding.
Starting from a SuperCrew model in Platinum flavor, NCE decided that it would be best to chop off the roof of the full-size workhorse. In came an electrically folding soft top, as well as a B-pillar hoop bar, and voila!
This is not the first time Newport Convertible Engineering made our jaws drop with a wacky but brilliant idea. Not that long ago, NCE took a perfectly fine Tesla Model S electric sedan, chopped the roof, then beautified it with a folding soft top. A Ford F-Series pickup truck with the same drop-top trait, however, is the nuttiest way of taking in the Californian sun I can think of.
Newport Convertible Engineering doesn’t name a price for the conversion, but it does mention that this here is a 2017 Ford F-150 equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that’s boasting direct and port fuel injection. With 375 hp and 470 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm, it sure is sufficiently powerful for towing and highway cruising alike. Another highlight is, of course, Ford’s 10-speed automatic.
Regardless of the pickup truck at hand, when was the last time Ford offered a body-on-frame vehicle with a drop top? It was too long ago, to be honest. And even though Ford announced that the Bronco is coming back for the 2020 MY, it would be wishful thinking to expect a roadster configuration.
If you really want a body-on-frame vehicle that can go topless at the touch of a button, your best bet is to ring the peeps over at Newport Convertible Engineering and inquire about their F-150. It won’t be cheap, though.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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