2005 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin Concept

It's plenty clear that the Adrenalin can talk the talk, with its menacing looks, but can it walk the walk with other high

A 4.6-litre 32-valve DOHC V8 sourced from the previous generation Mustang SVT Cobra powers the truck. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

performance trucks? It can, thanks to a 4.6-litre 32-valve DOHC V8 sourced from the previous generation Mustang SVT Cobra. Though the displacement is identical to the regular Sport Trac, the Adrenalin, with its Roots-type supercharger and water-to-air intercooler, produces 390 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, a sizeable increase over the 250-horsepower and 300 lb-ft of the first Sport Trac concept.

Mated to the V8 powerplant is an advanced six-speed automatic rather than a manual gearbox. Just the same, the transmission is hardly anything to scoff at - its heavy-duty construction gives it the ability to help the Sport Trac tow a projected 2,722 kg (6,000 lbs) capacity, while the intelligent shift programming

A low curb weight makes up for the Adrenalin's lack of 500+ horsepower. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

allows conservation of fuel in higher gears and consistent acceleration times.

What the Adrenalin lacks in outright pavement-ripping power, namely big cubes and 500+ horses, it gains in a low curb weight. Ford claims that by basing their hot pickup on a smaller vehicle that weighs hundreds of pounds less than a full-size behemoth, or even other pickups that are scaled-down versions of their full-size counterparts, the power-to-weight ratio should be equivalent to, if not better than, its larger rivals. At the same time, the lighter curb weight will mean a vehicle that consumes less fuel, something that's always on the minds of owners these days and especially important to Ford, as it attempts to minimize the CAFE rating for its truck lineup.