Chicago 2009: Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition returns for Round 14

Since a redesigned Ford F-150 was introduced to the world last year, that must mean this year will bring another limited-run Harley-Davidson edition. As with other recent examples of the co-branded truck, the new 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition is largely an appearance package, but certainly a striking one. This is the 14th time that Ford has created a Harley edition pickup with the current series running back to 2000. Over the past decade, some 74,000 customers have opted for the bike-badged trucks. Aside from the unique Harley-Davidson visual elements, this model features most of the goodies you can find on the top-end Platinum edition F-150.

This latest edition brings the custom Harley design ethos, such as it is, to Ford's latest full-size truck. Starting at the front, yet another grille appearance shows up in the F-150 line with a six-bar billet-style setup. The body work can be ordered in either a deep maroon called Lava or the same Tuxedo Black available on the Lincoln MKS. The latter color features tiny glass balls in the paint that give it even more luster in the sunshine than a conventional metallic paint. Along the flanks, a red sweep adorns the rocker panels and chrome Harley badging stretches just below the top edge of the bed. There's more about the Harley F-150 after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

The Harley truck sits on new 22-inch forged aluminum wheels with polished and painted surfaces and a center cap adorned with the Harley logo. The crew cab has ample space inside for five passengers and the seating surfaces are covered in the same type of leather used for official Harley biker jackets. The seat bolsters in front also feature the ribbed leather that you find on shoulders and elbows of those jackets. Inspired by Bentley's bragging about how many cows it takes to line the interiors of its cars with leather, Ford's Mark Fields joked, "It takes the jackets of 12 Harley Riders," for one F-150.



The cover of the center console bin is also emblazoned with an enormous Harley-Davidson badge and the truck's serial number and VIN. Likewise, the steering wheel is wrapped in a mix of the same red and black leather as the seats. The center stack, meanwhile, is covered in a matching red rubberized finish of the same type used on the 2010 Fusion Sport.



Under the hood, the standard 5.4L V8 shared with the less flashy F-150s puts out 320 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque through the usual 6-speed automatic transmission. Ford hasn't commented on pricing yet, but harvesting jackets off the backs of all those bikers surely doesn't come cheap. Interested buyers will find out closer to this summer when the 2010 Ford F0150 Harley-Davidson Edition goes on sale.


PRESS RELEASE

New 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson™ F-150: tough truck with cool attitude; new details, inside and out

CHICAGO, Feb. 10, 2009 – The 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson™ F-150 delivers a new standard of "custom cool," combining the smooth handling and legendary durability of America's best-selling truck with the authentic styling of Harley-Davidson, the industry leader in motorcycles.

This marks the 14th Harley-Davidson edition of an F-Series truck and latest in a line of
Ford Harley-Davidson F-Series models dating back to 2000, which aim to appeal to customers who appreciate quality and unique details only this kind of collaboration can bring.

"Our successful co-branding, unmatched in the industry, offers customers true specialized truck luxury," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Global Product Development.
"Just like with our other associations, we've linked with an industry leader to offer the best
of the best."


The successful collaboration between these two icons of the open road has produced eight
F-150 models, as well as six Super Duty F-250, F-350, and in 2009, the first Harley-Davidson
F-450 edition truck. The 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 is the first Harley-Davidson edition vehicle built off the award-winning new 2009 Ford F-150.

"This truck builds on the legacy of toughness that's been the hallmark of the Ford F-Series brand," said Matt O'Leary, chief engineer. "Now we're giving customers more of everything they love with the best F-150 and the boldest Harley-Davidson F-150 ever – featuring a fully differentiated design, all-wheel-drive capability, 22-inch wheels and a knock-out interior."

The exterior of the 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 offers a bold front fascia and six-bar shaped billet style grille and boasts specialized forged aluminum and Harley-Davidson® chrome badging. The truck will have a lowered appearance because of a fully integrated deployable running board.

Also standard are 22-inch low-profile performance tires – the largest in the F-Series lineup –
and Euroflange forged wheels with a polished and painted center wheel cap. The paint selection is classic Harley-Davidson – Tuxedo Black and the first Ford application of Lava, a deep maroon with three-color metal flake.

The interior is customized to appeal to the truck buyer who appreciates the attention to detail for which both Ford and Harley-Davidson are renowned.

"There's a real tie-in between the truck's interior and exterior designs," said Patrick Schiavone, Design director. "It's very much like how some customized Harley-Davidson motorcycles have a prominent theme that runs through them. That's how we tie it in with custom bikes."

Also impressive are the seats and console lid, which features hand-made cloisonné badges;
the console has a limited-edition serialization plate.

"These handmade badges continue our theme of premium Harley-Davidson offerings," said Schiavone. "Probably the only place that most people have seen hand-made cloisonné is on premium Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It's really high craftsmanship, and people will recognize it as another connection between the two brands."

Linkage is apparent even in the smallest details, such as adornments on the seats.

"The theme of the seat was designed to resemble a Harley® biker jacket," Schiavone said. "We even used authentic materials you'd find on Harley-Davidson MotorClothes® brand apparel."

The seat backs feature ribbed leather treatments, engraved Harley-Davidson button snaps and even zippered map pockets featuring zippers from Harley jackets.

It is important to the Ford Design team that the truck remain genuine to enthusiasts of Harley-Davidson, customers who traditionally are as loyal to their motorcycles as F-150 owners are to their trucks.

That's why the team meets regularly with Harley-Davidson designers and travels to motorcycle events throughout the year – including Daytona Bike Week, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Harley-Davidson dealer meetings – to talk to current and potential customers. The team wants to be sure that when Harley-Davidson owners or enthusiasts need a truck, this is the truck they choose.

"We talk to everyone we can; we find out what the customer values," O'Leary said. "We look at what they like, what they want, and what they wish they had, and we go from there."

"No one understands their customers better than Harley-Davidson and Ford," said Joanne Bischmann, vice president – Licensing, Harley-Davidson Motor Company. "We're proud to share the spirit of Harley-Davidson authenticity in a unique interpretation of America's favorite truck, the F-Series."

About the F-150
On the new F-150, there's a wealth of content complementing its unique appearance. The
2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 is equipped with a 5.4-liter three-valve engine, which is rated up to 320 horsepower and 390 ft.-lbs. of torque and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with a sport-tuned exhaust and a top speed of 115 mph.

The truck is available with 4x2 or an optional all-wheel drive, which features settings of
4x2, AWD and 4x4 high, unique to the Harley-Davidson edition on the F-150 platform.
All 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 models will be SuperCrews.

The F-150 is new inside and out. The Ford truck team adopted a holistic, 360-degree approach to revamping the vehicle – from its segment-first features to the tough new exterior, a more spacious, flexible and refined interior and an unparalleled choice of cab styles and trim levels.

The improvements are just as dramatic beneath the sheet metal. They include a new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis that delivers even more horsepower, unsurpassed fuel economy and class-leading towing and payload capacity.

The new design has garnered an impressive array of awards:
F-Series is the best selling vehicle in America for 27 consecutive years; best-selling truck for 32 consecutive years
Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year Award™
Top honors as "Truck of Texas" as well as "Best Luxury Pickup" for the 2009 F-150 King Ranch from Texas Auto Writers Association
2009 North American Truck of the Year
"Best Overall Half-Ton Pickup" from PickupTrucks.com
2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com
"Automotive Excellence" award in the Workhorse Category from Popular Mechanics
Motor Trend's Truck Trend Top 5 Trucks from Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for 2009 Ford F-150 Heavy Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept
Detroit Free Press Truck of the Year
Detroit News Truck of the Year
Best Truck by Florida Monthly
Playboy's 2009 Best Pickup
"Accessory-Friendly Truck" Design Award from SEMA
America's Safest Full-size Pickup with 5-star frontal and 5-star side-impact crash-test ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.
"Top Safety Pick" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its standard safety technology: Safety Canopy side curtain air bags and AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
"Residual Value" award from Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) for retaining the highest percentage of its original price among 2009 full-size light duty pickups at the end of a conventional three-year lease, based on ALG projections