Canadian ‘Tornado Hunters’ Crew Has One of the Toughest F-150s Around
Who is this devastatingly handsome man and why is he following me on Twitter?
Every once in a while, I’ll get a notification on social media that someone new has decided to follow me, for reasons unknown. Just recently, a man by the name of Ricky Forbes chose to follow me on Twitter and, out of simple curiosity, I decided to see who he was and what he was about.It turns out that Mr. Forbes (With a verified blue check mark!) is a self-proclaimed action-adventurer and one of the stars of the Canadian television show Tornado Hunters. I’d never heard of the show but I am familiar with tornado chasing thanks to the epic film Twister, which helped tornado chasers become more popular in media.
After further research, I discovered that the Tornado Hunters crew (consisting of Ricky Forbes, Greg Johnson, and Chris Chittick) rides across the U.S. and Canada in a decked out Ford F-150 Lariat they call Flash 2.0. The beastly truck has a special black and orange paint job and has a collection of features you won’t find on any ordinary F-150.
Special add-ons for Flash 2.0
Flash 2.0 features a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine, an external roll cage to protect the tornado enthusiasts from falling trees and debris, heavy duty steel bumpers, Baja-grade rubber, bed-mounted cargo boxes, and 360 degree lighting surrounding the truck. One of the coolest features is that special black and orange paint job, which is a polyurethane elastomer that can withstand a shot from a .22-caliber rifle.
The Tornado Hunters team can trust they’ll be safe inside Flash 2.0
Photographer Greg Johnson trusts the F-150 with his life, not only because of the exterior toughness, but because of its turbocharged capability to get them out of danger when a tornado gets too close. Fans of the show can often get a close look at the specialized truck, as it frequently makes appearances at Canadian Ford dealerships.
While the show is mostly popular online (the crew posts webisodes and hosts live feeds of storms) and on the Canadian version of the channel CMT, I hope it will eventually make its way to the U.S. radar so I can live vicariously through these thrill seekers and enjoy more decked out truck stuff.
Gallery: See more of the Ford F-150 Lariat featured on Tornado Hunters
Check out the Tornado Hunters crew praising their F-150:
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.