The collector car market, in your inbox
Classic car news, hand-picked vehicles, and auction coverage. Choose what lands in your inbox.
Most old-body-style Ford trucks earn their keep hauling hay, towing campers, or quietly racking up their third trip around the odometer. This one went a different direction entirely. A lime green 1994 Ford F-350 XLT built for the SEMA Show is headed to Mecum Auctions' Las Vegas 2026 sale, where it will cross the block as Lot V281 on Saturday, November 14. Photos and details come courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Calling it a pickup is technically accurate, but it doesn't quite capture what's going on here. This is a show stand on wheels, riding on 54-inch Michelin X SNOPLUS tires, with a Monster Energy-themed interior and a dance floor, complete with a dance pole. Subtle, it is not.
An OBS Ford Taken to the Extreme
The 1992-1997 Ford F-Series, known to enthusiasts as the OBS (old body style) generation, has become one of the hottest corners of the vintage truck world. The square-jawed styling, simple mechanicals, and bulletproof reputation have made these trucks favorites with both purists and builders. We've seen clean examples like this 1993 Ford F-250 long-bed SuperCab draw attention simply for being honest, well-kept workhorses, while earlier heavy-duty trucks like this low-mileage 1990 F-350 XLT Lariat 4x4 show how strong the appetite is for one-ton Fords from this era.
This F-350 sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from those survivors. It was custom-built specifically for SEMA, the annual Las Vegas gathering where builders try to out-shout each other with the wildest machines they can dream up. Judging by its résumé, it more than held its own. According to Mecum, the truck was named a Battle of the Builders Top 40 4x4 for three years, a notable run in a competition that draws some of the most ambitious custom builds in the country. If you've been following the show's evolution, our look at whether the SEMA Show is still relevant is worth a read, and builds like this one make a strong case that it is.
Fresh 7.3L Diesel Power
The 1994 model year was a pivotal one for Ford's heavy-duty trucks. Midway through the year, Ford replaced the indirect-injection 7.3-liter diesel with the Navistar-built 7.3-liter Power Stroke, a direct-injection turbodiesel that went on to become one of the most beloved diesel engines Ford ever offered. The 7.3 has such a following that people put it in just about anything, as this Power Stroke-swapped Crown Victoria proves.
Under the hood of this F-350 is a 7.3L diesel crate engine that, per Mecum, shows just 10 miles. That means the next owner gets a fresh powerplant rather than one carrying three decades of towing duty. It's paired with an automatic transmission, which makes sense for a truck that will likely spend more time idling through show lots than pulling stumps.
A Party on 54-Inch Rubber
The visual impact starts with the color. The lime green paint is matched inside, where the cabin carries a custom Monster Energy theme. Then there are the tires. At 54 inches tall, those Michelin X SNOPLUS tires push this F-350 well into monster truck territory and give it a stance you can spot from across a crowded parking lot.
And then there's the dance floor. Complete with a dance pole, it's the kind of feature that only makes sense on a show truck, and it's probably the single best indicator of what this build was designed to do: draw a crowd and keep it. Mecum's photos show the truck lit up with underglow and accent lighting, which only adds to the spectacle at night.
What Hagerty Says About the 1994 F-350 Market
Placing a value on a one-off SEMA build is tricky, because no price guide accounts for a dance floor. Still, Hagerty's valuation tools offer useful context for where stock versions of this truck sit today.
As of October 2026, Hagerty lists a 1994 F-350 crew cab 4x4 turbodiesel in #3 (Good) condition at $32,700, with a range between $28,600 and $42,400. That value is up 10.1 percent over the last quarter and 4.5 percent over the past year, though it remains 5.2 percent below where it sat three years ago. In other words, after a cooldown, OBS heavy-duty values appear to be climbing again.
The broader OBS market is busy, too. Hagerty's data shows 365 1992-1997 Ford F-Series pickups sold over the past 12 months, totaling $8.6 million in sales volume with an average price of $23,600. The number of trucks sold is up 37 percent, a sign that buyers are actively seeking out these trucks. Over the last three years, the top auction result for a 1994 F-350 was $50,137, while Mecum itself sold a 144,480-mile 1994 F-350 crew cab 4x4 for $26,400 earlier this year.
Of course, Hagerty also notes that extensive modifications can cut both ways, depending on how broad their appeal is. This truck's value will come down to whether the right bidder in the room wants a turnkey show piece with a fresh 7.3L and a trophy-case history. It's a similar question to the one we asked about this no-reserve 1994 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, where the market and the price guide don't always agree.
Built to Be Seen
There's no shortage of restored and restomodded Ford trucks out there, from carefully rebuilt classics to projects like this 1979 F-350 restomod. But few are as unapologetically over the top as this one. For a buyer who wants an OBS Ford that will never be mistaken for a parts-store parking lot regular, this lime green F-350 makes a loud statement. It's a fitting addition to any list of the coolest Ford trucks we've come across.
The 1994 Ford F-350 XLT crosses the block as Lot V281 at Mecum's Las Vegas 2026 auction on Saturday, November 14. Check out the full listing and photo gallery on the Mecum Auctions website.
