D6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 8, 1999 *98 EXPLO RER X LT 4 DR Loaded! Leather Interior! / ' J ^ CD! Green! ...... *29,995 & '95 LINCOLN , M M U N S P M ARKVffl ' ------- " Pearl White! Power Roof! C D. Changer! TradeTn! k * 2 2 ,9 9 5 J B W .W R X L T 4 000,1 LoadeiJ! Lu Sib interior! '97FORD RANGER FuBy Loaded! t iid e - in ! 1L000 km! vE m S K f! ecuhton 278*5535 FORD O U A L IT Y C E R T IF IE D //setf Cars Sold Here /j50J000kmm JJ Wal-Mart nationwide W Troadwear Warranty KIMV jl*** mmlMWOWwi) KT ] Ulysses BH Tracker Light-Truck Radial Tires Namebrand all-position, all-season for highway driving Good highway traction and handling for a smooth nde Hard-waiting long, even-wear tread 2-ply radial polyester w ith 2 sturdy steel Pelts. Starting from P235/75R15 Trail Mark Radial APR Light Track and RV Tires • A ll-pos ition , all-season • A ll-te rra in , aggressive tread design e xce llen t fo r a ll-w ea the r tra c tio n on o r o ff road • Sporty w h ite o r black le t te r sidewalls. Starting from W05/ 7S n 5(97S)Sl0Wl High Performance Super C/T Sport Radial Tires • Aggressive tread design fo r all-seasons • 'S'speed rated up to 180 km/h • Available in 60,65 o r 70 series (depending on size). Starting from ___ P17S/70B13 See Automotive Department fo r more sizes Ford delivers Lightning quick hot rod truck There have been trick trucks around for decades but it took Ford to produce a hubris-snorting factory-built hot rod with a pickup bed on the back. On the Ides of March, fittingly, the first of the 1999 SVT F-I50 Lightning pickup JIM ROBINSON RoadWorthy truck rolled off the line at Ford's Ontario Truck Plant in Oakville. As delivered, the Lightning has a top speed of 225 kmh (140 mph). Built on a standard F-150 XLT Flareside Regular Cab chassis, the usual 4.6-litre V8 has been sup planted by a 5.4-litre Triton V8 that is superchaiged to produce 360 hp and 440 fi/lb of torque. To get all this power on the ground, special l8X9.5-inch, five spoke alloy wheels are fitted with P295/45-18- inch Goodyear Eagle F-1 tires. Hit the ham mer and the Lightning will rocket from 0- 100 kmh in under seven seconds. But wait, there's more! The special front suspension is dropped 12.7 mm (0.5 inch) and the rear is lowered a full two inches (51 mm). There's a massive front spoiler with integrated fog lamps and lastly, but oh so subtly, there are two, big exhaust tips exit ing just in front of the rear wheels NASCAR style. The Lightning is the product of the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) we've written about before. They produce enhanced per formance vehicles designed for limited pro duction. The SVT Mustang Cobra is a per fect example of the extra style and go they Ford's 1999 SVT F-150 Lightning (above) and a closeup look (below)at its dual side exhausts located just in front of Accredited Test & Repair Facility extract from regular production- based Ford products. But this is the first time a SVT vehicle has been entrusted solely to a Canadian plant. Oakville will produce just 4,000 Lightnings a year. When the first Lightning rolled out, Oakville Truck plant manager Charlie Shortridge fittingly said seeing the Lightning was a tribute to all the more than 1,300 men and women who work in Oakville - and I couldn't agree more. At the same roll-out, SVT man ager John Coletti said, "the Lightning will not only accelerate like a bolt from the blue, it will stop in a flash and ride and handle like no other pickup before it." Well, after driving the Lightning for a few days I can confirm the accelera tion part. But when $ 0 7 9 5 MOST O / S CARS m ,F r o m W # S s c s CARS F r o m / / d r u m s Indudes new shoes or pads, repack wheel bearings, resurface drums & rotors and inspect entire system. Metallic pads included. M u s tjjre s e n t coupon. Exp ires Sejoh 18/99 j , Ya£L1chec'k-up ! | • Lube, oil 4 filler 10W30 ■ Check ant-freeze and levels ■ • Check brakes and aĉ ust • Check exhaust for leaks . _ _ _ _ M ■ • Checktres4frontend>Checkafifights ■ J • Check beds & hoses • Rotate tires • Senrfoe battery tenninals . M0ST ■ ■ • Check tune-up • New Car Warranty approved sepTis/M cars I TU N E -U P ■ Indudes new spark plugs, check ail tune-up componerts. setip (adjustengine,4 serve*battery.! i z z z 55 9 9 5 ^ FXTRAI 8cyt.V9.95 I M ust present coupon a t tim e o f estim ate. ' E x p ire s S e p t . 1 8 /9 9 I ^ f l c m a n r a i e n e m a i ' ■IV'V! | Includes fron t end inspection, ro a d te s t ■ front caste r 4 cam ber ad justm ents as 1 Z'̂ nt $ 0 0 9 5 co ipon at time ^ W g of purchase. \ f W 2 O jp 1 applicable. 2 wheel If only front end inspection performed $10.00 labour charge Expires S e p t 18/99 j LOBE, OIL 8 FILTER I We will : • Change your oil (up to 6 litres o f 10W30 I Quaker S tate) 4 filter ■ • Lubricate front end 1 • Check air pressure • | - filte rs | M ust present coupon jE x p ire s S e p t 18/99 - a l levels under hood *16"M ostCars Installed F its m arry c a rs . P ipes, c la m p s & h a n g e rs extra . Not to be combined with any other offer (warranty wort; excluded) 1 yr. warranty. Must present coupon. Expires Sept. 18/99 *2995 MOST CARS & LIGHT TRUCKS Ontario Government Inspection. Any work required for safety check over the value of $150 * taxes, performed by this location, safety check is no chame.presem coipon a eme d puchase Expires Sepl 18/99 RIUWCE R ROKR 4 TIRES • R e b a la n c e a lk u tre s to m a x m z e w w ra n d I n d e c a r lu l • Rotate a lk x x fees b m a n r iz e wear and $ performance. Must present c a p o n at Im e o t estimate Expires S e p t 18/99$28&! meineke Discount Mufflers Quality Undercar Specialists O a k v i l l e • • • 501 Speers R d . U n it # 2 ... (N e x t to B u d d 's I m p o r te d C a r s ) 842-9977 R E E U n d e r c a r I n s p e c t io n & Es t im a t e N a t io n w id e L if e t im e G u a r a n t e es OPEN M O N . - FRI. • AM -6 PM SATURDAY 8 A M -4 PM MUST PRESENT COUPON FOR ALL SPECIALS NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER it comes to stopping, the four big disc brakes really do the job. But it's nothing like the arresting conversa tion with just about everybody, stopping me to ask questions. Parks staff, delivery drivers, pipe fitters, even some guy in a Lincoln Navigator, all ambled over to look at the Lightning. The big question from all of them, of course, is "what's it like?" Painted in a brilliant red and hun kered down even though it has 18- inch wheels, the Lightning immedi ately looks tough. Fire up and the twin exhausts let out a loud rumble many times removed from the noise made by my father-in-law's box-stock F-150. Even with a 3.55:1 limited slip rear differential, it was possible to light up the tires at the slightest provocation. You actually have to remember not to tromp the pedal at a stoplight so you can save your tires. At cruising speed, say 100 kmh and coming up to pass another car, you put your foot down - and the world changes. The big intercooled superchaiger looks like it came off a dragster. Pumping out 8.0 psi, it's enough to throw you back into the seat. Power arrival is almost immediate and the whine from the blower rises in pitch like a warning siren. What gets me is you can do all this while still being able to tow 5,000 lbs! The Lightning is equipped with engine oil cooler and enhanced engine cooling sys tem. Fuel economy is listed at 14 mpg city and 21 highway but if you use the go pedal a lot, it gets mighty thirsty. Inside, the driver is greeted with a car like dash with white face/black character gauges, a SVT signature touch. There is a boost gauge which I appreciate. The driver gets a six-way power seat and the 60/40 bench features a fold-down centre console perfect for concealing a cell phone. Fitted as standard is air conditioning, cruise control, power remote mirrors, power windows, power locks with remote and a sliding rear window. The only options available are the six-disc CD player (not fit ted) and the $422 towing package and $799 soft tonneau cover for the bed. These two options brought the MSRP from $39,995 to $41,734 as tested. The Lightning is in a class of its own. It's clever because it hits right at the leading edge of the search for individuality in the ballooning truck segment. It provides the serious get-up-and-go of a Mustang but with the utility of that truck bed on the back. And even as delivered, you just know there are people out there who will find ways to make the Lightning even more potent. With the Lightning, Ford has managed to take its pickup chassis and spin off another winner just as it has done with the Expeditioii and the coming Excursion. If you want a full-size pickup with siz zle to live in the fast lane, the Lightning is the only way to go. R fffltlp w g Have you ever spent hours trying to clea gadget and use it with your vacuum c M crevices in the shifter boot and your floor console where food You couli straight c straw, bu SHERIDAN'S P T All-Season Radial Tires • Passenger all-season stee l-be lted radial tires • Whitewall sidewall styling • Available in 75 and 80 series (depending on size). Starting from P155/S0M 5IWW) 1 9 " a i t u \j i IV .C 3 . EVERY TIRE PURCHASED .AT WAL-MART INCLUDES: • installation • New tire valve • Flat repair • Road hazard warranty • Rotation every 10,000 km • Nationwide warranty • Available in stores with Automotive Centres only. tA w m v h WE SELL FOR LESS 234 HAYS BLVD., TR AFALG AR & HW Y. 5, O A K V ILLE Lexus unveils line-up at Oakville Galleries Erin Park Lexus Toyota in Mississauga is hosting a reception at the Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens to unveil the fall lineup of Lexus luxury vehicles. On display will be the Lexus LX 470, RX300 sport utility vehicles the LS400 flagship sedan, the GS 300/400 and the ES sports sedans. The reception is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The reception is open to the public and is free. Hors d'oeuvres provided by Catered Fare. , * 278*5535 Accredited Test & Repair Facility