2003 Ford F150 Boss

Believed to be one of only a few of its kind in the UK, this Ford-F150 Boss 5.4 left Ford’s Kansas City assembly plant in 2003 and went direct to LA West in Indiana. It has a 260 bhp Triton V8 and a 4-speed automatic transmission and is certificated and plated by the Boss Owner’s Club as number 0030.

It was imported to the UK in 2006 and its sixth owner - our vendor - acquired it in 2016 and has maintained it diligently himself.

He loves American vehicles and the unique look of this Boss 5.4 stood out for him. He’s used it day to day and at the occasional show for around seven years now and feels it’s time to get something else. He says it’s likely to be a car rather than a truck but still American and still something a bit special.

The model-appropriate registration V80 OSS will be included in the sale.

No longer painted in “Hugger Orange”, the Boss was given a full repaint some years back in what the vendor tells us is Arancio Lamborghini. The grille and bonnet centre were painted black with twin black stripes over the cab to the rear.

It still looks rather stunning and aside from a couple of small areas of bubbling on the bonnet leading edge, and a few small stone chips on the front bumper, there are very few defects or blemishes.

The Boss 5.4 conversion majored on its custom appearance and especially below the waistline it looks very different from the standard F-150. The tinted windows, body coloured bumper fairings front and rear, bonnet bulge and nostrils, side-exit exhausts, sill skirts and running boards, and the tray-cover-mounted wing all give the Boss a head-turning presence.

The bodywork appears undamaged and the shut lines look nice and even. The only body panels that don’t appear to line up perfectly are the bumpers - particularly at the rear, although no doubt with a little fettling these could be brought back into line.

The Boss sits on 20-inch 7-spoke split-rim alloy wheels, which are painted in satin black and appear in good condition with just the odd scuff on the very outside of the rims. All are shod with recently-fitted Triangle Sportex TH201 tyres.

The interior is no less customised than the outside, and has been left as originally fitted by LA West although with the addition of a Pioneer CD/DVD player with Bluetooth connectivity and a plug-in dashcam sitting over the rear-view mirror - both of which were added by the current owner.

The dashboard is quite a departure from the regular F-150 too, with orange carbon-fibre panelling around the instruments and centre console, as well as around the door controls. The instruments themselves have an eye-catching red flames motif on the faces of the dials.

There’s a little damage to the dash trim on the corner to the left of the grey and orange steering wheel. No doubt this is where the driver’s knee catches on the slightly protruding panel getting in and out.

The grey leather seats are very comfortable, are accented in orange and perforated across the facings. A wide centre armrest folds up to become a third seat if required. The headrests carry embroidered Boss 5.4 logos, again in orange although starting to fade. The seats are in a largely good condition, although - as is often the case - the driver’s seat is creased and cracking, particularly on the side bolster and the piping is starting to fray.

Since the photos were taken, the owner has touched-in the upholstery in a few places with some leather dye to tidy them up.

The grey carpets look clean and in good order and also have Boss 5.4 logos embroidered on each footwell section. The headlining too appears unmarked and taut across the cab.

According to the owner, everything works aside from the cruise control which has never functioned in his ownership, but it isn’t something he’s missed having. The owner also says the air conditioning runs cold.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay looks neatly and snugly packaged with little of the Triton V8 on show. The engine starts well and runs smoothly with only noises from spinning belts and induction. Outside of the vehicle the side-exit exhausts give a raspy snorting note.

There’s a little surface rust on the chassis underneath but nothing of any concern or that couldn’t be tidied up with a wire brush and a lick of protective paint. Aft of the rear axle, the spare steel wheel is bolted to the underside. It is fitted with a General Ameri tyre.

Raise the fibreglass cover over the rear bed and you see a fully lined and carpeted luggage space. The flooring is a little soiled but there is no apparent damage and it provides a good deal of capacity for suitcases, equipment or just for the groceries. The tailgate folds down flat for easy access or for somewhere to sit if you’re showing the truck.

The F-150 has a current MoT valid until May 2024, which it passed with no advisories - just as it has done for the last decade.

Aside from a handful of past MoT reports, the Certificate of Authenticity and the number plate authorisation certificate, there isn’t much of a history file with the vehicle.

The HPI report is as you would expect and the MoT history - all details of which are online - shows that any defects were addressed prior to the next test. This indicates to us that the truck has been well looked after by successive owners.

There is an increasing love in the UK for pickup trucks going beyond their originally intended use by tradespeople, and the market is full of ‘domesticated’ models with exterior styling and refined interiors. Our streets and country roads might not be quite what American trucks were designed for, but having a thumping V8 sitting under the bonnet is the ultimate statement in this growing truck culture.

This limited edition Boss 5.4 takes no prisoners where styling is concerned and its side-exit exhausts make sure that the truck gets everyone’s attention, if they’re not already looking at its eye-catching paint.

The vendor says that it drives just like a new vehicle and runs without issue, whether as a daily or just for fun. We think it will sell for between £18,000 and £24,000. You can be confident that there won’t be another one quite like it coming by anytime soon.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Benfleet, Essex; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.