The most undisputed king of pickup trucks in the U.S., Ford's F-Series, has been at it for so long it kind of blends into the segment it serves, forming part of the backbone on which it was built.
In continuous production since 1948, the F-Series has gone through a number of monumental changes, needed for the range to keep up with the times. As the new ones arrive, one would have expected the older ones to fade into history, as this is, after all, a workhorse family we’re talking about, not exactly ripe for appreciation and customization, like say an old muscle car.
We all know though that’s not the case with the F-Series, whose oldest iterations, especially in the half-ton segment, have been the focus of many custom shops across the nation, and the highlight of many auctions conducted over the years.
The most recent one to cross our screens is this here visual and mechanical insanity, a 1953 F-100 that went the whole nine yards down the customization route and, despite retaining its iconic design lines, is now an entirely different beast.
Propped on US Mag wheels painted black, the body of the pickup is wrapped in a color called Magnetic Gray Metallic. It, together with the proper light falling on the thing while photos were taken (check gallery for more), makes the F-100 look like some metal terminator that shapeshifted into a pickup truck from the 1950s.
The killer look of the thing is accompanied by an even more insane powertrain, hidden under the telltale F-100 hood: a 427 SR crate engine, sourced from Roush Performance, and rated in this application at 510 horsepower. The engine makes the wheels spin with the help of a 4-speed manual transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear.
The build is listed on the lot of cars of a dealer called Vanguard Motor, and at the time of writing the listing reads “sold.” Keep an eye out for it if interested, though, as we’ll probably see it pop out into the open in the near future, with a price sticker attached.
We all know though that’s not the case with the F-Series, whose oldest iterations, especially in the half-ton segment, have been the focus of many custom shops across the nation, and the highlight of many auctions conducted over the years.
The most recent one to cross our screens is this here visual and mechanical insanity, a 1953 F-100 that went the whole nine yards down the customization route and, despite retaining its iconic design lines, is now an entirely different beast.
Propped on US Mag wheels painted black, the body of the pickup is wrapped in a color called Magnetic Gray Metallic. It, together with the proper light falling on the thing while photos were taken (check gallery for more), makes the F-100 look like some metal terminator that shapeshifted into a pickup truck from the 1950s.
The killer look of the thing is accompanied by an even more insane powertrain, hidden under the telltale F-100 hood: a 427 SR crate engine, sourced from Roush Performance, and rated in this application at 510 horsepower. The engine makes the wheels spin with the help of a 4-speed manual transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear.
The build is listed on the lot of cars of a dealer called Vanguard Motor, and at the time of writing the listing reads “sold.” Keep an eye out for it if interested, though, as we’ll probably see it pop out into the open in the near future, with a price sticker attached.