40 years at the top: Ford F-Series & its road to dominance

Ford’s F-Series stands proud as one of the best-selling vehicles on the planet.

Ford’s F-Series stands proud as one of the best-selling vehicles on the planet.

America is its largest market by a long shot, it’s not a global model by any means, yet over 40 million examples have found a home since the first-generation model entered production in 1948. Its sales performance in 2021 also meant that it's been the top selling vehicle in the US for 40 years. Since its start, the F-Series has gone through 14 generations, it has been offered in dozens of configurations ranging from a basic to high-performance and it has become an indelible part of the American landscape. Now in its 14th generation, the model has now spawned all-electric model called the F-150 Lightning. It's early days yet but first reviewa are positive for this new frontier for a storied nameplate.

Let's take a look at how the model transitioned from a tough farm truck to a do-it-all daily driver that’s equally at home in a dense forest, at the mall and on a construction site.

Before the F-Series (1910s)

In the 1910s, many Ford Model Ts were converted into pickups by enterprising owners or coachbuilders. The first factory-built Model T-based truck was the Model TT (pictured) released in 1917. Demand sky-rocketed; Ford sold over 300,000 units in 1925 and more than a million examples during the full production run. Transforming the Model A, which replaced the T, into a pickup made perfect sense.

Ford continued selling pickups through the 1940s, including an unusual Coupe-Pickup that looked exactly like what it sounds like. The competition was fierce but its trucks were already permanently woven into the American fabric when engineers began developing the first F-Series. 

The original F-Series (1948)

Ford’s 1949 passenger cars helped recover the company from a post-war funk but its first new post-war vehicle was a pickup named F-1 introduced in 1948 and launched that same year. Also called Bonus-Built, it was more user-friendly than its predecessor because its cab was longer, wider and taller. The range included a pickup (pictured), a panel van and a platform/stake variant. All were marketed under the ½-ton label.

In 1948, the F-1 pickup cost $1212 (about $14,000 in today's money) with a 95 BHP straight-six. Motorists who wanted the 99 BHP V8 needed to pay merely $27 (about $400 today) more. Chassis-cab models were even cheaper, while panel models often used as delivery vehicles cost more. Rear-wheel drive and a three-speed manual transmission came standard; four-wheel drive was not available.  Bigger, more capable models (including an F-2 and an F-3) were also in the range, though every 1948 Ford truck regardless of capacity shared the same cab. Sales totalled 143,000 units that year.

Mercury’s F (1948)

Ford-owned Mercury built and sold its own version of the original F-Series starting in 1948. Called M-Series, it was all but identical to its Ford-badged sibling with the exception of brand-specific emblems and, sometimes, more bright trim. It was only distributed in Canada, where Ford and Mercury models were sold through separate sales channels. Mercury dealers were sometimes located in towns that were many miles away from the nearest Ford store; the M-Series kept pickup buyers in the fold without expanding Ford’s footprint. Production initially took place in Canada and the M wasn’t sold in America.

Mercury kept the M-Series alive until 1968. It was always closely related to the F-Series.

The second-generation F-Series (1953)

Ford gave the F-1 a series of minor updates but the next major change in its pickup range came in 1953, when it launched the second-generation F-Series. Called F-100, it was the product of a four-year development process that cost about $30 million (around $288 million today). Ford pledged to deliver more power, more comfort as well as better fuel economy and it kept its promises.

Its engineering department installed wider seats, added sound-deadening material in the doors, fitted sun visors and a dome light, and increased the size of the rear window for better visibility. An automatic transmission and two-tone paint jobs were also available on the second-generation F-Series. These small modifications made a big difference for the growing number of users who spent thousands of hours behind the wheel of a truck each year. Ford’s bigger models received similar updates, too, and the company introduced the F-250 and F-350 nameplates still used today. 

The third-generation F-Series (1957)

Ford made two significant pickup-related announcements in 1957. It introduced the Ranch Wagon-based Ranchero, which was marketed as a smaller alternative to the F-100, and it launched the third-generation F-Series that was significantly more modern than its predecessor in several key ways.

Motorists had two cargo box lengths to choose from (6.5ft and 8ft) and each one was available with exposed wheel arches or flush side panels. The standard F-100 with a 6.5ft box and a 3.7-liter, 137 BHP straight-six cost $1631 (about $15,000 today). Buyers could pay $36 for the 8ft box and $105 for a 4.5-liter V8 rated at 169bhp, figures that represent approximately $320 and $960, respectively, today. 

The four-wheel drive F-Series (1959)

Rear-wheel drive was the only configuration offered at launch but four-wheel drive joined the list of factory options for the first time for 1959. Prior to that, buyers who needed power sent to the four wheels had to send their truck to an aftermarket company specialized in four-wheel drive conversions. PICTURE: F-250

The fourth-generation F-Series (1960)

Ford added two new pickups to its range for the 1961 model year. The first was based on the new-for-1961 Econoline, a cab-forward commercial model aimed directly at the Volkswagen Bus but equipped with a more conventional front-mounted engine. The second was the fourth-generation F-Series which was wider and lower than its predecessor.

Larger glass surfaces gave the driver better visibility but the most noteworthy visual change was that Styleside models came with a cargo box welded directly to the cab. Eliminating the gap between the box and the cab gave the F-100 a much sleeker appearance and made it cheaper to build but buyers unanimously hated it; Ford dropped it in 1963.

Inching towards the mainstream (1960s)

Ford followed rivals International-Harvester and Dodge into the four-door pickup segment when it added a Crew Cab configuration to the F-250 and F-350 for 1965. These jumbo trucks could comfortably seat up to six passengers on two bench seats. And, while the term “car-like ride” often appeared in marketing materials during the 1960s, Ford took a step towards delivering it when it began installing an independent front suspension on the F-100 that same model year.

These changes appeared as pickups were gradually transcending their decades-old workhorse status and turning into daily drivers for thousands of commuters, DIYers and vacationers with a heavy camper to tow.

The fifth-generation F-Series (1966)

Ford introduced the fifth-generation F-Series in 1966 as a 1967 model. It made evolutionary updates to the truck including a new-look front end, a bigger cab equipped with wider seats and a redesigned instrument cluster. The F-100 remained the entry point into the range and it was again available with a 6.5ft or an 8ft cargo box and in a variety of different configurations including a stake truck.

Rear-wheel drive, a three-speed manual transmission and a 3.9-liter straight-six rated at 148 BHP came standard and buyers could pay $650 (about $5500 today) for four-wheel drive. Pricing started at $2198 (about $18,000 today) for a Flarestyle pickup with exposed rear wheel arches.

The regular and Crew Cab variants of the F-250 and F-350 returned as well.

The sixth-generation F-Series (1972)

Ford’s sixth-generation F-Series joined the smaller Courier in showrooms in 1972 for the 1973 model year. Here again, the changes were mostly evolutionary and largely limited to a redesigned front end, a bigger cab with a storage area carved out behind the seats and better rust-proofing. It was a recipe that sold exceptionally well, Ford eclipsed rival Chevrolet by building 795,987 trucks in 1972, so the company had no reason to significantly alter it. And yet, considerable updates were right around the corner.

The SuperCab (1974)

Ford launched an extended-cab version of the F-100 named SuperCab about halfway through 1974. It slotted between the regular cab and the Crew Cab offered on bigger F-Series models in terms of size. This was significant because it marked the first time the F-100 was available with a more spacious interior. Buyers could choose between a full-width rear bench or a pair of jump seats that faced the middle of the truck and folded up when they weren’t needed. Either way, SuperCab models stood out with two additional side windows that were smaller than the front ones. Accessing the rear seats required tilting the front ones forward; half doors weren’t added until decades later.

Ford offered the SuperCab on the F-100, the F-250 and the F-350. Pricing started at $4185 (roughly $22,000 today) with a V8, a figure that made it the most expensive F-100 variant in 1974 by a wide margin. For context, the short-wheelbase truck cost $3246 (about $17,000 now) that same year.

The original F-150 (1974)

Ford filled the growing gap between the F-100 and the F-250 by introducing the F-150 in 1974 as a 1975 model. It was better suited to carrying heavy items thanks in part to an upgraded front axle, sturdier suspension components and standard power brakes. It cost $4002 (roughly $19,000 today) with V8, which represented a $326 ($1500 today) increase over a comparable F-100.

The second-generation Bronco (1977)

The original Bronco introduced for the 1966 model year was loosely marketed as the Mustang’s off-roader companion. It was briefly offered as a pickup but it wasn’t related to the F-Series. This changed when the second-generation model arrived in 1977 as a 1978 model. It was appreciably bigger than the SUV it replaced and it shared its front-end design plus many mechanical parts with the F-Series.

The transformation paid off almost immediately. Ford sold nearly 94,000 units of the Bronco in 1979 compared to 13,600 examples in 1976. It twinned the Bronco with the F-Series until the fifth (and, as of writing, final) generation went out of production in 1996. The sixth-generation model Bronco released in 2021 shares a platform with the smaller Ranger pickup.

The seventh-generation F-Series (1979)

Ford took the F-Series into its seventh generation in 1979. Launched as a 1980 model, it received significant updates including new seats that cleared up about 10% more leg room. It also returned better fuel economy thanks in part to weight-saving measures like holes drilled through the frame. This strategy backfired when owners began complaining their truck had buckled while loaded. Ford quickly developed a stronger frame; the early drilled units are known as Swiss cheese frames today.

The range again included F-100, F-150, F-250 and F-350 models available with a regular cab or a SuperCab. 100 and 150 buyers could select a Flareside model with exposed rear wheel arches and a 6.5ft bed, a Styleside variant with rear wheel arches integrated into a 6.5ft box or a long-wheelbase Styleside with an 8ft box. Although the F-100 was cheaper than the F-150, it wasn’t nearly as popular. Ford sold 133,590 F-100s, 173,050 F-150s, 71,089 F-250s and 49,339 F-350s during the 1980 model year. 

The end of the F-100 (1983)

Ford’s pickup sales rose sharply during the early 1980s, it sold 453,108 examples of the F-Series in 1983, yet F-100 sales steadily dropped. The model contributed 75,191 sales to the aforementioned figure compared to 192,704 F-150s. The axe fell after the 1983 model year and the F-150 (pictured) became Ford’s entry-level F-Series for 1984. It wasn’t the company’s smallest truck; that distinction belonged to the Ranger, which competed in the minitruck segment against American and Japanese models.

The eighth-generation F-Series (1986)

Ford again made small but important changes to the F-Series in 1986. Launched for the 1987 model year, the eighth-generation F-Series received a more aerodynamic front end with flush headlights and, significantly, ABS brakes on the rear wheels. Power steering, power brakes and electronic fuel injection came standard regardless of body style or trim level. These changes carried the F-Series into the 1990s.

They paid off, too. Ford sold 276,750 examples of the F-150 during the 1988 model year and 550,125 units of the F-Series. The nameplate again stood proud at the top of America’s sales chart.

The ninth-generation F-Series (1991)

The F-Series sold exceptionally well but Chevrolet’s C/K was never far behind; Ford couldn’t rest on its laurels. It introduced the ninth-generation F-Series in 1991 as a 1992 model. It was a comprehensively updated evolution of its predecessor with a more contemporary-looking front end and a redesigned interior.

358,694 examples of the F-150 were sold during the 1992 model year and 16% came with four-wheel drive. Pricing started at $10,921, which represents $21,000 today.

The first-generation SVT Lightning (1992)

Ford sat on the sidelines as General Motors and Dodge (via Shelby) turned their pickups into hot rods more at home on the drag strip than at the hardware store. It took its first steps in the high-horsepower truck segment when it released the F-150 SVT Lightning in 1992 as a 1993 model.

Engineers started with a short-wheelbase, rear-wheel drive model to keep weight as low as possible and dropped a 5.8-liter, 240 hp V8 in the engine bay. Chassis modifications and a body kit rounded out the changes. 11,563 enthusiasts bought a Lightning between 1993 and 1995.

The 10th-generation F-Series (1996)

The 1997 model year brought a clean-sheet redesign of America’s best-selling vehicle. Introduced at the 1996 Detroit motor show, the 10th-generation F-150 represented a concerted effort to make a truck that appealed equally to farmers, utility companies, adventurers and commuters looking for a rugged daily driver. Its front end loosely borrowed styling cues from the Taurus and the SuperCab model gained a third rear-hinged door, a feature Ford’s competitors quickly added to their trucks. Ford expanded the range with a four-door, short-box model – a first for the F-150. Users could lock the tailgate, too.

Pricing started at $15,070 for a V6-powered Styleside model with a 6.5ft box, which amounts to approximately $25,000 today. The many improvements helped Ford sell 710,301 examples of the F-150 during the 1997 model year. The bigger F-250 and F-350 carried on without major updates; sales totalled 182,887 and 108,137, respectively, during the 1997 model year.

The original Expedition (1996)

Ford axed the decades-old Bronco nameplate after the 1996 model year and filled the gap in its range with the Expedition, which was closely related to the F-150, for the 1997 model year. It was clearly designed as a family hauler, not as a work truck, but it shared numerous parts with its truck sibling.

The second-generation Lightning (1998)

Lightning struck the F-150 line-up again in 1998. Introduced as a 1999 model, the second-generation F-150 SVT Lightning adopted forced induction with a supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 that sent 360 hp to the low-profile rear tires in its most basic state of tune. That figure grew to 380 hp in 2001.

It was again based on the rear-wheel drive, short-wheelbase F-150 and it received a long list of suspension modifications that made it handle better than a hay-hauling model. 28,124 examples of the second-generation Lightning were made between the 1999 and 2004 model years. 

The original Super Duty (1998)

Ford grouped the F-250 and F-350 (pictured) models under the Super Duty umbrella in 1998. Released as 1999 models, they received a model-specific design that clearly set them apart from the F-150 and later appeared on the Excursion, the biggest Ford SUV to date. Buyers had a dizzying selection of configurations to choose from including two- and four-door cabs, long- and short cargo boxes and single or dual rear wheels.

Engine options included a 5.4-liter V8, a mighty 6.8-liter V10 with 279 hp and a turbodiesel V8. F-450 and F-550 models were available, too, though most were sold to commercial users.

The Lincoln Blackwood (2001)

Lincoln’s Expedition-based Navigator sold spectacularly well so executives believed they could replicate this success in the pickup segment. Ford’s upmarket division also needed to fend off competition from rival Cadillac, whose Chevrolet Avalanche-based Escalade EXT had caught everyone by surprise.

Starting with a four-door F-150, Lincoln tacked on a Navigator-like front end and installed a much nicer interior. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the Blackwood was only available with rear-wheel drive and it was nearly useless as a truck because its carpet-lined cargo box was topped by a plastic tonneau cover.

In America, the Lincoln Blackwood was offered only during the 2002 model year. Sales totalled about 3300 units, a figure that makes it one of the company’s rarest models. Mexican buyers gave it a slightly warmer reception so Lincoln decided to sell it there during the 2003 model year before canceling it.

The 11th-generation F-Series (2003)

The 10th-generation F-Series gave Ford a sizeable head-start in the pickup segment but its rivals had caught up by the turn of the millennium. Trucks were selling in immense numbers and they were bringing in huge profits; the stakes were higher than they’d ever been. It’s in this competitive context that Ford developed the 11th-generation F-Series it launched at the 2003 Detroit show as a 2004 model.

It was an entirely new model yet it remained recognisable as an F-150. It looked brawnier than before, it was bigger and its interior again moved in a more car-like direction. This shift reflected the ever-increasing number of motorists who bought an F-150 as their daily driver. The range included two- and four-door models, V6- and V8-powered variants and rear- or four-wheel drive. Entry-level XL versions shipped with cloth upholstery and manual everything while Lariat trims benefited from heated mirrors, 18in alloy wheels, automatic temperature control, leather upholstery and carpeted floor mats.

The Lincoln Mark LT (2005)

Lincoln unexpectedly gave the pickup segment another shot when it introduced the 2006 Mark LT in 2005. It was a badge-engineered F-150, the company made no major efforts to hide the truck’s roots, but it was better positioned than the Blackwood because it received a conventional cargo box and it was available with four-wheel drive.

The Mark LT outsold the Cadillac Escalade EXT, its closest rival, shortly after its unveiling but sales quickly fell. Lincoln left America’s pickup segment in 2008. Ford directed buyers who wanted a luxurious truck to upmarket variants of the F-150.

The 12th-generation F-Series (2008)

Released as a 2009 model, the 12th-generation F-Series introduced at the 2008 Detroit motor show looked like a careful update of the outgoing truck but its familiar-looking sheet metal hid noteworthy changes. It was lighter than its predecessor and it became the first F-150 not to offer a six-cylinder engine at launch, though Ford added one (a 3.7-liter shared with the Mustang) later in the production run.

Rear-wheel drive came standard, and four-wheel drive remained optionally available, but Ford stopped offering a manual transmission due to a lack of demand; it hasn’t returned since.

The first-generation Raptor (2009)

Sensing that demand for quick street trucks was waning, Ford’s SVT division took the hot-rodded F-150 in a completely different direction when it released the first-generation Raptor in 2009 as a 2010 model. It wasn’t designed to live life a quarter mile at a time; it was built for high-speed desert runs. It received a long-travel suspension, 35in tires and either a standard 5.4-liter V8 rated at 310 hp or an optional 6.2-liter V8 that developed 411 hp. It carved out a niche Ford’s rivals haven’t fully moved into yet.

The 13th-generation F-150 (2014)

Ford gave the F-150 a significant make-over in 2014. Launched for the 2015 model year, the 13th-generation model weighed about 700 lb less than its predecessor thanks in part to a new body made largely with aluminum. In a nod to fuel economy, Ford’s twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 joined the range and gave the truck its first stop-start system. At launch, it was America’s most modern truck.

The line-up again ranged from basic, work-oriented models with steel wheels and black plastic bumpers to luxurious variants with German luxury car-like equipment and, of course, a price tag to match. 

The second-generation Raptor (2016)

Ford’s ferocious Raptor returned for a second generation in 2016. Launched for the 2017 model year, it no longer wore SVT emblems and it surfed the downsizing wave sweeping across the industry by swapping its predecessor’s V8 for a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V8 tuned to 450hp.

It remained based on the F-150 and it benefited from an aluminum-induced diet that made it 500 lb lighter than the original Raptor. This version of the truck remains available today.

The Shelby F-150 Super Snake (2017)

Ford had no interest in giving the Lightning a true successor so American tuner Shelby stepped in. It released the F-150 Super Snake in 2017 with a supercharged V8 engine tuned to 750 hp and no off-road pretentions to speak of. It sat lower than a regular F-150 and it received a body kit that further reduced its ground clearance. Shelby nonetheless offered the model with rear- or four-wheel drive.

150 units of the Super Snake were built; each one carried a base price of $96,880.

Sales today

F-Series sales totalled 726,004  in 2021, a 8% fall on 2020's numbers and down from a record 909,330 recorded for 2018. But the market overall has declined by 6%, and the F-Series in fact increased market share to 37% (from 30% year-on-year) due to sharp declines in share for the Chevy Silverado and Toyota Tundra. All of which meant that the F- Series was America's best-selling truck for the 45th year in a row and best-selling vehicle in America for the 40th year in a row.

F-150 and Super Duty models (like the F-250) are still lumped into one statistic, which is odd and a little misleading considering they’re separate models. This practice isn’t unusual, Nissan follows a similar strategy when it combines Rogue and Rogue Sport sales numbers in the United States, but it makes it difficult to tell precisely how many F-150s were sold on the American market in 2021.

The F-Series today

Older trucks manufactured in the 1950s and the 1960s are collectibles today, though they remain relatively affordable. For example, Hagerty values a 1956 F-100 in good condition at $15,100. More recent models made between the 1970s and the 1990s are still in limbo; some have been restored and are used sparingly while others are still earning their keep, like this one pictured we recently spotted parked up in Vancouver. Their value depends entirely on their condition.

Even the SVT Lightning remains attainable. Hagerty values a first-generation model in good condition at $10,300 while a comparable second-generation model is worth $19,300.

The 14th-generation F-Series (2020)

Ford F-150 Lightning