Zac Quinn 
Earlier this year, Ford announced the F-150 Lightning Switchgear, built in collaboration with RTR vehicles. The vehicle was built only for demonstrations and was inspired by the F-150 RTR Ultimate Fun-Haver project vehicle from 2016. A new “EV demonstrator” is coming, as Ford CEO Jim Farley announced during Ford’s racing season kickoff. It’s believed a modified version of the Switchgear was in development and would tackle this year’s Pikes Peak Hillclimb.
Ford F-150 Lightning Pikes Peak Hillclimb: Details
According to motor1, Ford shared a single teaser image on social media, showing the front of a vehicle hiding under a tarp. Despite its broad stature, it appears to be low to the ground with a crazy wing at the back, like what we saw on the electric SuperVan, pointing to the fact that Ford is applying some of the lessons learned from its incredibly fast van for this new project.
The Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear’s off-road configuration features Fox 3-inch-diameter internal bypass shock absorbers, a custom independent double-wishbone suspension at the front with a multilink setup at the rear with coilovers, custom control arms, limit straps, and Nitto Ridge Grappler 37-inch tires fitted with 18-inch Forged RTR Tech 6 Beadlock wheels. This street version of the truck will not have this modification. The vehicle was dubbed the Switchgear due to its design to be able to tackle paved corners the same way it tackles dirt jumps; with some minor modifications to the suspension and tires, the capability can be seriously altered, and of course, a massive wing at the back will add extra downforce.
Back in January, Ford revealed that it was only going to build one Switchgear, with plans to convert the truck from an off-road beast into something altogether different at a later date. This year’s Hillclimb is set to take place on June 23, and by our calculations, that is a later date. We can’t wait to see this street-focused F-150 Lightning Switchgear unveiled, especially as it takes on a timed race up the legendary mountain.
