Vintage trucks are big business, and Velocity Modern Classics is expanding further into the space with its new lineup based on the “Dentside” Ford F-Series sold between 1973 and 1979. The company revealed its first three examples of the sixth-gen F-Series – a 1973 F-100, a 1977 F-150, and a 1977 F-250 – showing a trio of detailed, finely crafted pickups. And they sure better be well-done, considering Velocity will charge at least $280,000 for the pleasure of owning one.
Making The Dentside Howl Like A Coyote
Turning a F-Series Dentside into a Velocity truck starts from the very bottom, where it receives a Roadster Shop frame to guarantee structural integrity. The F-100 sport truck builds onto that platform with an independent front suspension, solid rear axle, and four-wheel disc brakes from Baer. Meanwhile, the four-wheel-drive F-150 and F-250 models feature solid Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles, as well as Wilwood four-wheel disc brakes.
Powering each variant is a Ford Performance 5.0-liter Coyote V8 crate engine, making 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, with a 10-speed automatic sourced from the modern F-150 pickup. A custom-built and -routed exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers gives all three trucks a distinct, period-appropriate rumble that belies the powertrain’s modern origins – ditto Velocity’s unique serpentine belt routing that turns the compressor to a Vintage Air climate control system.
Vintage Style With Modern Details
The sixth-generation F-Series, introduced for the 1973 model year, gets its Dentside nickname from the concave, recessed panels that start from underneath the clamshell hood and run the entire length of the pickup. Atop this distinctive body design, Velocity Modern Classics performs a full sheet metal restoration to give the trucks solidity and strength, which then gets coated in a variety of colors, with optional two-tone paint that lives within the truck’s novel “racetrack” chrome body jewelry. Speaking of, all the brightwork on the truck is better than new, including the chrome grille with Ford lettering, bookended by LED headlights that maintain their classic appearance – no insectoid projectors here.
Inside, Velocity enhances the truck’s cosmetics with a factory-fresh restoration, plus a Bluetooth stereo system, full carpeting, a tilt steering column, and power windows. Those who insist on more can upgrade to either the Street Series on the two-wheel-drive F-100 or the Heritage Series on the F-150 and F-250 4x4s. Go that route and you get a French-stitched leather bench seat, steering wheel, and dash top, plus an Alpine touchscreen head unit and Velocity custom-machined billet interior components like door handles, power window switches, and steering wheel spokes. Both upgrade packages also get billet exterior trim and a color-matched, spray-in Raptor Liner in the bed.
A New Kind Of Ford Vs. Ferrari
With a starting price of $279,900, the Velocity Modern Classics Dentside lineup isn’t for the faint of heart or thin of wallet. That same cash could very easily get someone into a Ferrari Amalfi, Maserati MCPura, or even Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. Someone with off-road pretensions might even be tempted by a loaded Ford F-150 Raptor R – with a Mustang Dark Horse on the side for daily driving – and still save about 100 grand. That said, none of the above options has the approachable, down-to-earth charm of an old pickup truck. Still, for $280,000, we’re a little surprised that the billet exterior bits and stitched leather upholstery aren’t standard.
That probably won’t stop customers from forking over big cash on Velocity’s new Dentside offerings, which will live alongside the fifth-generation “Bumpside” F-Series, first-gen Bronco, classic Mustang, Chevrolet K-5 Blazer, and International Scout II in the company’s lineup.
Source: Velocity Modern Classics
