2000 Ford F150 SVT Lightning

With 360 supercharged horsepower, the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning is the embodiment of my favorite saying: "Hey, y'all, watch this!" The Lightning just begs you to do a big ol' smoky burnout and a power-sliding, opposite-lock lap of the parking lot. From the time I was handed its keys to when there were a pair of 295-millimeter-wide 17-yard-long black streaks on the floor of the Petersen building parking garage took no longer than its 0-60-mph time. It was only by superior will power that I resisted filling the underground garage with tire smoke.

No current production vehicle does a stationary burnout easier than the Lightning. With this simple recipe, anyone can convert $600 of Goodyear Eagle F1 GSs into smoke and rubber dust: Start with one Lightning, hold moderate pressure on the brake pedal with left foot, stomp the gas with right. Modulate each to ensure the rears spin at the appropriate level and the truck remains motionless. A power slide requires more skill, but mastering it will make you feel like sprint-car star Mark Kinser. Anybody who has the self-control to get more than a few thousand miles out of a pair of rear Lightning tires should be sentenced to drive a '76 Pinto.

Three takes were needed to illustrate the Lightning's smoky burnout and power oversteer potential for "Motor Trend Television." I'm sure that director of photography Vince Plodzien got it on the first shot, but I insisted we do a couple more, saying they were "for insurance." The real reason: The Lightning told me to.

The heart and soul of the Lightning is its supercharged 5.4-liter SOHC V-8. Compared to other Tritons, it boasts new forged pistons (to handle the elevated combustion pressures and drop static compression ratio), new intake tract (including new manifold and big-bore throttle body), water-to-air intercooler, and the all-important Eaton Roots-type supercharger.