12 Of The Rarest Ford Pickup Trucks Ever Made

staff@slashgear.com (Joe Hindy)
2025-02-08 09:30:00
www.slashgear.com

A white Ford F-150 from the front and up close

Photosvit/Getty Images

Ford makes one of the most popular pickup trucks in history with the F-150. The truck has its ups and downs but is generally considered to be a reliable, powerful truck that can do just about anything while looking good in the process. It’s typically at or near the top of the class in most metrics that matter in a truck, including tow capacity, engine options, and even price tag in some cases. They are just about everywhere, and Ford has had similar success with its other trucks as well, including its electrified Ford F-150 Lightning.

With that said, there are some trucks that Ford makes in increasingly sparse numbers. The Raptor and the Tremor are two good examples as they are built for enthusiasts and in smaller numbers. Over the years, Ford has made a variety of special edition trucks or experimental products that had limited runs. Thus, despite selling one of the most popular trucks ever, Ford has also made some of the rarest trucks ever seen.

If you’re curious about some of them, here are some of the rarest Ford trucks ever made. For this article, we omitted custom builds and one-offs since those are fairly common. We also omitted most partner builds, like the Hennessey VelociRaptor, a specialty version of the Ford Raptor made by Hennessey that only had 500 examples made.

1979 Ford F-150 Indy 500 Special

The Ford F-150 Indy 500 Special is a special edition truck made only in 1979. It was mostly an appearance package for the Ford F-150 to commemorate the Ford Mustang being the official pace car of the Indy 500 that year. They were typically well equipped for trucks of that era, likely because they were used as showroom trucks at dealerships and that space is usually equipped for the highest-end stock.

The Ford F-150 was the crown jewel of the Indy 500 special package and Ford made 4,225 of them. For the most part, the trucks were just Ford F-150s with special decals and extras like AM/FM radio, air conditioning, tinted glass, and more. There were also two engine options with the 460 cubic inch Ford V8 and the 302 cubic inch V8 as notable examples. There are still examples alive today, but they are decreasing in number as the truck nears its 50th birthday.

This is the truck that everyone talks about but there are actually rarer Indy 500 Special edition trucks. Per sales data, Ford also made special editions of the F-100, F-250, and F-350 variants. The rarest of them all is the Ford F-250 4×4 Indy edition, of which only 62 examples are known to have been made. In all, Ford made 6,350 Indy 500 edition trucks across its lineup.

2002 Lincoln Blackwood

The Lincoln Blackwood is definitely a rare pickup truck but not because it’s special. It’s mostly rare because it was an abject failure. As the story goes, Ford wanted to make an upscale Ford F-150 and did so under the Lincoln brand. It merged high-end sedan features with the capability of the Ford F-150, and it wasn’t terribly popular among consumers. This is in contrast to the Lincoln Navigator, which was a luxury-oriented Ford Explorer that fared much better.

In any case, Lincoln made approximately 3,300 Blackwoods before discontinuing the car. The numbers here are a bit murky because the exact number is unknown. Most authorities say around 3,300 or at least below 3,500. So, it should be right in that neighborhood. In any case, the truck had all sorts of weird features, like a hydraulic tonneau cover that kept the bed permanently covered and Dutch-style barn doors as a tailgate. The bed was also carpeted and featured LED lighting.

In short, it looked like a truck, but it didn’t really act like one. As such, it became a disaster for Lincoln, which discontinued the truck after part of one model year, making the Blackwood the shortest production run in Lincoln’s history. With that said, if you can find one, it’s known to be a surprisingly comfortable ride.

1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR Edition

The 1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR Edition is the second limited edition truck on the list. This one was made in 1998 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of NASCAR racing. It’s not too different from a typical 1998 Ford F-150 but does come with a factory-installed NASCAR decal that runs down the truck bed sides and around the back. It also featured a single cab and a short bed design, and it was paired with a 4.6-liter Modular V8 engine under the hood. The wheels are also NASCAR-themed with most of the typically chrome pieces blacked out.

Ford made exactly 3,000 of these in 1998 and sold them to racing enthusiasts. There are few clean examples left on the road today as folks typically like to drive their trucks. For the most part, it was an appearance package, so mechanically, it’s not terribly different from other Ford F-150s in 1998. In fact, if you have a black 1998 Ford F-150, you can order the NASCAR Edition decal for around $270 online. The rims are a bit harder.

One year later in 1999, Ford introduced the Ford F-150 Lightning, which came with a souped-up engine and aggressive styling. In a way, the NASCAR Edition F-150 was a precursor to something else that was more than just a pretty decal and set of admittedly awesome rims.

1967-71 Ford Bronco Pickup

The first-generation Ford Bronco was quite the experimental phase for Ford. The Bronco was originally made as an all-purpose vehicle that could be sold in a variety of different body styles from SUV to pickup truck and plenty of other examples in between. For example, the Bronco Roadster didn’t have a roof or doors and could be optioned to omit the glass from the windshield, which could also be folded down and out of the way.

As such, not every version of the Bronco was meant to be. By 1967, Ford was winding down the previous year’s Bronco pickup due to a lack of sales. This wind-down continued for a few years until 1971, which was its final model year. Any single year of the Bronco pickup truck from 1967 to 1971 would make this list. The 1967 Bronco pickup had 2,602 units produced and that number dwindled to 1,503 units in 1971. Thus, the 1971 model year is the rarest of the Ford Bronco pickup trucks.

In total, Ford produced approximately 17,260 Ford Bronco pickups. The brand would continue to produce the Bronco in its wagon variant, and later the SUV variant, until June 1996 when the model was discontinued. Ford brought it back years later but we still haven’t seen a Bronco pickup since 1971.

2014 Ford F-150 Tremor

The 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor was a powerful truck in its day. Ford launched a Tremor package in 2002 for the Ranger, and while that was nothing too special, the automaker reused the branding for a special edition of the Ford F-150. It was essentially an FX2 trim Ford F-150 that included a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine designed to tear up the pavement. It marched to 60 mph in 6 seconds flat, which isn’t half bad for a truck that weighed over 5,000 pounds.

However, the world didn’t like the Tremor as much as Ford had hoped, and the company ultimately produced less than 2,500 units. The failure caused Ford to put the Tremor name away yet again before bringing it back in the 2020 model year, where it has appeared in the Ford F-150 lineup ever since. No model year of the Tremor has been overly popular, so the 2014 edition is likely a collector’s item in the making.

Not only is Ford sticking to the Tremor this time around but it’s also introducing the trim to other vehicles. The 2025 Ford Explorer is the first non-truck to bear the name. Thus, other than the 2014 model, it seems the Tremor name is sticking around.

2011 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab

The 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab is a different type of rare. Ford has been making the Raptor for a long time, and any given year is rare in its own right. The Raptor is similar to the Tremor in this regard. Ford builds fewer of them because they tend to be enthusiast trucks that sell for quite a bit more than their standard F-150 counterparts. As an example, the 2025 Ford Raptor R starts at $112,725. It’s simply not going to sell a ton of units at that price.

What makes the 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab unique is that it was the least popular Raptor sold in its model year. The X1R variant of the Raptor put up 2,314 units in total, which is a little over a quarter of what the more popular W1R crew cab model put up in terms of sales. The interesting part is that no one seems quite sure what to call it. Reviews and pundits seem content with mixing the Super Cab name with SuperCrew with alarming nonchalance, despite the fact that Ford listed the two names as being two separate products.

In any case, the 2012 Raptor Super Cab was also similarly rare, putting up 2,462 total units, making both model years and likely others prime examples of rare Ford trucks.

1992 Ford F-150 Nite Edition

The Ford F-150 Nite Edition was yet another special edition truck that Ford only sold for a couple of years in 1991 and 1992. The Nite trim was also available on the Ford Bronco, which was strictly an SUV by the early 1990s. It was an appearance package that only came in black with a blue and purple stripe and a Nite logo nearly the back of the bed. The appearance package came specifically on the XLT Lariat in 1991 and expanded to more trims and the Bronco in 1992, making the 1991 variant the rarer find.

Unfortunately, actual production numbers from that era are mostly lost so we don’t know for sure exactly how many of these things were made. Estimates put the number at around 1,949 units in total, making it one of the rarest pickup trucks ever built if they’re accurate. Few people have seen them in the wild and they don’t go up for sale very often, so the rarity seems backed up from an anecdotal standpoint. However, we will never know for sure unless Ford tells us how many there are.

Since it is an appearance package, it is possible to recreate this truck with some custom decals. It won’t be the same, though.

2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition

The 2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition is another limited-edition truck that Ford only built for one year. This one was designed by hot rod expert Chip Foose and sold by Ford in 2008. Unlike many of the rare trucks on this list, the Foose wasn’t just an appearance package. It came with a supercharged and intercooled 450-horsepower V8 engine with 500 lb.-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful trucks on the market in 2008.

Also unlike many rare Ford trucks, we know exactly how many of these were produced and it was 500. Ford had a limited production run, so the numbers are definitely accurate for this one. At the time of its release, it was the most powerful hot rod truck on the market, although it had Dodge to thank for that as the brand pulled its 500-horsepower engine off the market for that year. It suited Foose well, as the hot rod legend was best known for his F-100 truck, which was heavily rebuilt from the ground up to go pretty fast.

At the time, Ford said that their partnership with Foose wouldn’t be a one-off. Foose would go on to work with Ford on some other designs but ultimately, the F-150 Foose Edition was the only one that made it to market. At just 500 units, it’s a rarity for sure.

1987 Ford F-250 BigFoot Cruiser

The 1987 Ford F-250 BigFoot Cruiser is where we start to get into truly rarefied air. It was designed after BigFoot, the original monster truck, and played its role quite well. BigFoot vehicles from Ford were known for their massive 33-inch wheels, mimicking the look of the BigFoot monster truck without actually being a monster truck. It also sported some decals and some other adjustments to make it look more like the iconic monster truck. It was a poetic release since the original BigFoot was modeled using a 1974 Ford F-250.

Unfortunately, the heavenly match didn’t translate to heavy sales. Approximately 300 of them were supposedly made, making them a truly rare vehicle to find in the wild. Those numbers aren’t concrete, though. Ford issued a recall in October 1987 that claimed 360 BigFoot F-150s and F-250s were sold and an additional 200 Ford Ranger BigFoots also left dealerships. Ford also noted that 660 BigFoot trucks were still unsold and that it requested dealerships to replace the affected parts. As such, no one is quite sure about the exact number of F-250 BigFoot Cruisers manufactured.

It is worth noting that those 200 Ford Ranger BigFoots are also rare enough to be included on the list. There aren’t many examples of them in the wild either. Ford discontinued the BigFoot product in the early 1990s.

Ford Durango

The Ford Durango is a ridiculous truck. It features a name most associate with Dodge and a style that looks like a Chevy El Camino. Ford built these magnificent trucks from 1979 to 1982, and they are technically classified as a utility coupe and not a pickup truck. Still, it has a truck bed, so we’re counting it. It was meant to be a Ford Ranchero replacement, which was a criminally underappreciated truck-car thing in its own right. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

Ford contracted 212 total Ford Durangos, making it an exceptionally rare truck to see, let alone buy. We say contracted because this vehicle technically wasn’t built by Ford. It was built by National Coach Works, which used fiberglass to convert stock Ford Fairmonts into the half-car, half-truck Durango under the supervision of Ford. The exact details aren’t well known, but National Coach Works made these car-like trucks for a bit and then Ford decided to pull the plug and go in a different direction.

Thus, when one of these things goes up for sale, it usually attracts the attention of the automotive media. In fact, at the time of this writing, we were unable to find a single example of one on the market currently, but they do pop up from time to time, usually in a garage somewhere.

2016 Ford F-150 Tonka Edition

The 2016 Ford F-150 Tonka Edition is the final limited-edition F-150 on the list. This highlight market yellow truck was made in limited supply during its model year. In addition to its eye-popping color, it came with special body moldings, blacked-out wheels, dark-tinted windows, and it was lifted. Someone at Ford is a big fan of Tonka because the brand has had a Tonka truck in some form since 2002 when an F-350 was used at auto shows. This version actually made it to the public.

Initially, only 500 of these things were tasked to be made. It turns out that number dropped to 200 and only about 128 made it onto the production line. On top of its unique styling, the truck also featured a 700-horsepower engine V8 designed by Shelby that comes with a Whipple supercharger. So, not only was it super noticeable but also super fast. Technically, Ford didn’t make this truck, so it falls under the same definition as the Hennessey trucks we talked about earlier but at only 128 units made, it’s the rarest such truck that we could find.

Like Ford’s other rare trucks, these things don’t go up for sale very often and few people have ever seen one in person. Reportedly, the truck went for around $98,000, which may help explain why it didn’t move a lot of units.

1991 Ford Ranger SkyRanger

The 1991 Ford Ranger SkyRanger is in a class all its own when it comes to rarity. It’s also one of the most unique trucks ever built. It’s a 1991 Ford Ranger that had the top sawed off and replaced with a convertible top. There is nothing on the market quite like it. As the story goes, Ford tasked the American Sunroof Company (ASC) with modifying the 1991 Ranger to have a convertible top. As it turns out, folks didn’t like it much, as the soft top convertible made the truck feel less robust.

All told, Ford commissioned between 17 and 19 SkyRangers, depending on who you ask. They are so rare that when one miraculously goes up for sale, it typically makes the news in the automotive world. It’s a shame because it’s one beautiful truck that is definitely made more for cruising than it is for work, which is a notion that wasn’t as popular back then. There are few examples in the wild, although there is one in Austin, Texas, that is often photographed and posted on Reddit.

The only way we’ll see another truck like the SkyRanger is if Ford goes on another creative bender. Since the company is known for those, it’s something that may happen someday. Until then, at least we have pictures.

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