F-150 Super Crew 4 X 2

The Harley and Ford Partnership Continues

Are you ready for a supercharge? For those of you F-150 lovers that think Harley Davidson’s are the bomb. You are in luck because this year Ford is releasing it’s ninth version of the original supercharged F-150 Harley Davidson, which began selling in 1999. And it is hitting the market a year earlier than planned…. can we hear a big, “Heeeeeell Yah!”

The supercharged Harley Davidson F-150 Super Crew 4 X 2 is supposed to be more powerful than the previous models where as the styling hasn’t changed much. Here is what automobilemag.com had to say:

Ford continues to leverage the brand loyalty of Harley motorcycle owners (and wannabes) to bring traffic to its showrooms. But whereas the previous Harley-Davidson F-150 didn’t offer a lot mechanically to lure bikers to the Ford lot, this truck offers a substantial change over other F-150s in one important department: power.

Supercharged power, to be exact, thanks to a twin-screw unit such as that found in various Saleen products. This Harley produces 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, almost as much as the V-10-powered Dodge Ram SRT10s. And like that ballistic Ram, this truck will route its power through the rear wheels only.

Visually, the latest Harley-Davidson F-150 doesn’t stray far from the theme set by its predecessors. There’s black. There’s chrome. Everywhere. Inside, you’ll find black leather seats and piano black trim on the black dashboard. Oh wait, the shifter surround is chrome. To be fair, however, it’s a handsome truck - all dark and menacing on its twenty-two-inch wheels. And if all the ebony is too much, you can also specify “Dark Amethyst” paint instead.

Be warned: the price for power and image is a steep one. Ford is asking $37,210 to start, not including the optional supercharger. For that, you’ll need to fork over an additional 6500 big ones. Loyalty might bring Harley guys and girls into the showroom, but are they faithful enough to put out that kind of money for a play truck? Judging by sales of more than 60,000 Harley-Davidson F-150s since 1999, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes”.

Here is what Ford had to say: (press release)

Ford Motor Company’s original plan was to introduce a supercharged Harley-Davidson edition of the F-150 pickup as a 2008 model in August of this year.

But things came together quickly, so Ford decided to launch a 2007 model with a blower, even though it will have a short run, explained Eric Kuehn, assistant chief engineer for the F-150.

Mike Massara, vehicle program manager for Ford’s Harley-Davidson Alliance, said initially he just wanted 50 or 60 trucks to test for ’07. But Ford started taking orders in mid-April and pulled in about 700 in the first week—perhaps not a surprise given the strong response to the supercharged 2007 Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Extreme shown at the 2006 SEMA show.

Ford started building supercharged ’07 Harley-Davidson editions in early May and has started shipping the pickups for sale this summer. The automaker will only make 1500-2000 as ’07s. The ’08s will go into production in August and land at dealerships in September. Massara estimates sales for a full model year could be in the 3000-5000 range.

The engine will remain the same for ’08, but the truck will be freshened inside and out to reflect the fact it is an anniversary year for Harley. The motorcycle maker celebrates milestones every five years, and 2008 means 105 candles on the cake.

And for 2009, the F-150 itself will be all-new.

The last time Ford offered a supercharged Harley edition was for the 2002 and 2003 model years, stopping for ’04.

The specialty trucks for ’07, codenamed P221, ride on 22-inch Scorpions that Pirelli helped develop for the truck. The truck also has different shocks and resonators in the exhaust for a throatier note.