Ford Helps Enthusiast Build Full-Carbon Fiber F100 With Raptor R Power
This year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas features incredible builds by enthusiasts from around the world with something for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you’re into, it’s here. Standing out at SEMA is no small feat, but one Ford truck enthusiast managed to do just that with his truck build, fondly named Carbon Clyde.
Ford
Ford is one of America’s oldest automakers and one of the oldest in the world, popularized for being the first to effectively mass produce the automobile under Henry Ford with the Ford Model T. In over 120 years, Ford has become a sales leader in a variety of segments, with popular nameplates like the Ford F-150, Transit, and Mustang.
Solomon Lunger of Ford Era is a truck tuneing enthusiast who teamed up with Ford to turn a 1969 F-100 into a carbon fiber wonder. It’s not a little bit of carbon fiber here and there. It’s carbon fiber everywhere. It was a stunning display at SEMA, as was Lunger in a Ford/Versace outfit that nearly outshone his truck. We talked with Lunger about his build and what it took to bring Carbon Clyde to life.
A Truck To Drive Across The Country
“I wanted a truck that I can drive anywhere. I love the classic charm of the bump sides, the ‘67 to ‘72 trucks. I love them. I started my Instagram page called the Ford Era a long time ago, and it’s all about the classic trucks and driving them,” said Lunger. “I’ve been daily driving a 1970 F-250 Crew Cab for years. And what I wanted was a truck that I could literally go from coast to coast.” Today’s trucks, like the F-150, are all well and good, but there’s just something about a classic.
“I wanted to make a 1969 truck into a 2024.”
– Solomon Lunger, Ford Era
It wasn’t just a matter of altering a few bits and pieces of a 1969 truck. He pretty much rebuilt the whole thing. “Aside from the VIN number, it’s basically brand new,” he said. “It started out as a patina truck. It was supposed to be for SEMA 2020, which didn’t happen.” That put everything on hold. The engine Ford sent ended up in another truck and the original project was put on the backburner.
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Fast forward to SEMA 2023 and Lunger ended up chatting with the Ford folks once again. “I came to the booth and I’m talking to them and they’re like, when are we gonna do something again? I’m like, well, I have an idea. I have this patina truck I want to do,” said Lunger. Emails were exchanged and Ford came back with an offer he couldn’t refuse. “They replied with, we love your project, how would you like a Raptor R? We’re trying to promote this new setup. And I’m like, wait, what? Uh, yes. Sure. I couldn’t even reply fast enough. I was so excited.”
Assembling A Team To Get The Job Done
Engine secured, Lunger still had the matter of the truck itself, which had been sitting outside in Miami, Florida, rusting away since 2020. He reached out to Brothers Carbon in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, originally intending to just patina match a carbon hood and carbon bed. “I’m talking to them and they’re like, why would you do that? Why not a whole carbon truck?” said Lunger. He thought it was a great idea, but one that was way beyond his budget. A deal was made and Carbon Clyde was on its way to becoming reality.
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He had the makings of his dream truck, but it was a project he couldn’t complete alone. “I have a small personal warehouse for me and my trucks and my YouTube channel. I don’t have employees or anything. I’ve got a bunch of friends. So, when I started doing this, I just reached out to different people. It was more of a friend thing.” Those friends did everything from paint to fabrication to wiring to bodywork.
Up Against The Clock
This all started in May, which left the team just six months to pull together a truck good enough to show off at SEMA. “The time a hundred percent was our biggest challenge. And how good it had to actually look because this is a real booth, right? You’re in Ford’s booth. You can’t half-ass it.” Carbon Clyde fit right in at a Ford’s booth where the company announced its new Custom Garage that lets its customers add a custom touch to their vehicles.
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While it looks good enough to be at Ford’s SEMA booth, it doesn’t run yet, but getting it running is at the top of his list. “As soon as I get home,” he said. “I make my own truck show called Solo’s Beach Bonanza in January. My goal is to have this finished perfectly for that show.”
While this is a one-off, Lunger says he wouldn’t say no to making one if someone asks. “I don’t have a shop. But this actually might be turning into a business because I’ve had a few people say, hey, can I buy this? And it’s not for sale, but what I said is, if you are serious, I could build one for you. If somebody said they wanted it, and they could actually afford it!”
