If you’re shopping for a well-preserved Corvette or Mercedes-Benz SL, the market’s probably got you covered one way or another. People just don’t ever throw those cars away and most were a second or third car when new, so they largely got taken care of. But, what if your tastes run to something that was, back in the day, just a little different, and, perhaps, not that well received by the marketplace? Well, have we got something for you.
Bid to win this 1980 AMC Concord D/L two-door sedan, currently offered on Hemmings Auctions, and you will surely be taking the road less traveled. Though not truly super rare, this AMC is still a remarkable survivor. Originally purchased by an AMC dealer for his wife, this little sedan seems to have survived so well due to careful ownership, years in the salt-free environs of the Pacific Northwest, and what appears to be an intact layer of undercoating on the rather clean undercarriage.
The Navy Blue finish looks to be in pretty fine shape, as does the partial vinyl roof. Don’t forget to check out that light blue “Sculptured Rochelle Velour” interior, as plush-looking a fabric as American car companies offered at the time, well this side of a buttoned-leather seat, anyway. Including the carpets, door cards and seatbelts, there's a whole lotta' blue going on in this Concord. About the only thing non-standard would be the raised white letter Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires on bare steel wheels. But AMC wheel covers were nothing to write home about in 1980 anyway.
Whether you want to call cars on this end of the hobby entry-level or a bargain, most family cars of the era are hardly in the condition this Concord is. And that makes it really easy to appreciate not only the car, but the care and effort that went into keeping it the way it is today.
From the listing on Hemmings Auctions:
This 1980 AMC Concord has traveled just over 59,000 miles since it was originally purchased by an AMC dealer for his wife. The seller is the second owner and has kept it as close to original as possible, from the paint to the interior to the detailed engine bay. It's a well-equipped example in an appealing color, appears to be free of rust and should be enticing to AMC enthusiasts and those who simply love to see cars in original condition.
The carbureted 258-cu.in. inline-six was the top engine choice for AMC Concord purchasers in 1980. These engines provided smooth, capable power for this rear-drive, two-door sedan that weighed just 2,800 pounds...
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Boosted Powertrain
At the heart of this SVT Lightning is its iron-block 5.4-liter SOHC, 16-valve V8 with a supercharger and an intercooler. The blower helped it deliver 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque in 2001, up some 20 horsepower and 10 lb-ft from the ’99 and 2000 models. The Eaton supercharged engine delivered peak boost of 8.0 psi and the engine featured an 8.4:1 static compression ratio, down from the standard 5.4 V8’s 9.0:1, which was rated at 260 horsepower and 350 lb-ft.
Power reached the rear 18-inch cast aluminum-alloy wheels via a four-speed automatic, an aluminum driveshaft and a beefy 9.75-inch, limited-slip rear axle with an acceleration-friendly 3.73:1 final-drive ratio, another upgrade for 2001. Car and Driver magazine reported a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile in an E.T. of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph—impressive numbers for a 4,600-pound truck. Top speed was a drag-limited 142 mph.
A Truly Sporting Truck
Trucks generally require a suspension that can handle a full load in its bed while also providing competent driving while empty. But if you fancy one designed to a sports-car standard, then something has to give. In the case of the second-gen Lightning, Ford dropped its payload capacity to a mere 800 pounds. A standard 2001 F-150 Styleside carried a 3,180-pound payload rating, while an F-150 Flareside was rated at 2,005 pounds, some two-and-a-half times the Lightning, which featured the short-bed Flareside body. Towing capacity, likewise, was reduced from 8,800 pounds to 5,000 in the Lightning. But the Lightning’s strengths were never its payload or towing capacities, but it’s ability to perform like a sports car.
As a 21st century performance vehicle, however, the second-gen Lightning was also equipped to handle. A half-inch drop at the front was accompanied by SVT-specific coil springs and Bilstein shocks along with an exclusive 31-mm solid anti-roll bar. SVT’s influence continued at the rear with Lightning-specific five-leaf springs and a 23-mm solid anti-roll bar. The Bilstein setup at the rear included the right-rear shock staggered toward the front of the truck to reduce axle hop under heavy acceleration. The four-wheel antilock disc brakes were cribbed from the three-quarter-ton F-250, with 12.1-inch front rotors at the front and 13.1-inch discs at the rear.
As the years go on, fewer and fewer clean, unmolested low-mileage examples are out there, which is why this 2001 Ford SVT F150 Lightning now on Hemmings Auctions caught our attention. Showing just 5,525.5 miles on its odometer at the time of submission, it is said to be in “mint” condition and have an “immaculate” finish in the seller’s words. No modifications are noted to any part of the vehicle. The 18-inch factory alloys don’t appear to have any curb rash, though the Goodyear performance tires may be original. About the only deviations from stock are the tinted windows.
The latest electric-only F-150 Lightning is certainly a quick vehicle in its own right, but this 2001 edition from the engineers at SVT was built for excitement, not range. It was made with an old-school muscle-car vibe along with modern handling and braking. Which Lightning would you look good behind the wheel of?
Take a look at this second-gen Lightning on Hemmings Auctions before the bidding ends.
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