2010 Saleen S281 Mustang fully revealed
2010 Saleen S281 Mustang - Click above for a high-res image gallery
We got a sneak peek of the new 2010-spec Saleen S281 Mustang via Saleen's Flickr page earlier this month, but now we have our first full look of the car thanks to our friend Brad Barnett over at TheMustangSource.com. These pictures have confirmed our initial reaction to the teaser photos, which is most definitely positive. Saleen's designers have managed to retain much of the design language that made previous versions of the S281 so popular while updating the style enough to properly flow with the lines of the 2010 Mustang. Check back next week for our full SEMA coverage and live photos of the new Saleen S281. Until then, hit up the high-res gallery below and see the car for yourself.
Gallery: 2010 Saleen S281 Mustang
[Source: The Mustang Source]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
cit09 4:47PM (10/28/2009)
This actually looks sweet! Although it would be nice to have an option for an IRS for the Mustang so the handling can be better, in my opinion that is all and I know that it is a cost for putting this setup for a car, like on the Camaro and Challenger. Overall I love Mustangs!
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MikeofLA 5:08PM (10/28/2009)
the Live rear axle on the new Mustang actually performs as well as a 335i or E46 M3 (and better then the other ponies) on track, slalom and skid pad numbers. Ford sold it's soul to the devil for it's astonishing handling abilities... or after 45 years of tinkering, you learn a thing or two about how to set up the rear axle on these things. The money (read here that it would be $100 per car) to make them IRS is stupid cheap, but the R&D that would have to go into the chassis engineering would be much higher, and thus passed on to us.
I don't disagree with you, however. It's just not the magical formula you think it will be...
Yaroukh 5:14PM (10/28/2009)
"But it was Ford Special Vehicle Team's (SVT) refinement of the chassis that made our staff declare the GT500 the best Mustang in the model's long 45-year history."
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS41348+28-Oct-2009+PRN20091028
tifosiotaku 6:40PM (10/28/2009)
It wouldn't be a Mustang article without someone bitching about the live rear axle, nevermind that a Mustang outhandles an IRS-equipped Camaro.
MeiSooHaityu 4:51PM (10/28/2009)
This thing looks awesome. The back end treatment really improves on Fords rear end, and that front end just looks plain mean.
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Monica Dickey 5:18PM (10/28/2009)
Yeah this thing just looks thick and mean, really cool. Lots of attitude. I thought the new mustang design was cool but a little sterile, this really takes it to the next level.
Franz 6:43PM (10/28/2009)
Nobody does Mustang rear end styling as good as Saleen IMO.
jjmcubed 4:52PM (10/28/2009)
Saleen to me is dead. They did their whole customer base a disservice by not honoring warranties. I'll be looking elsewhere for my Mustang porn, tyvm.
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MeiSooHaityu 4:57PM (10/28/2009)
Last I checked they are honoring all their warranties? I think you have been miss-informed.
jjmcubed 5:02PM (10/28/2009)
Google Saleen and Warranty...
MeiSooHaityu 5:07PM (10/28/2009)
Go to a better source then google...
http://www.saleen.com/press/NewsReleases/warranty_update_24Jul09.asp
DesignNtheD 5:09PM (10/28/2009)
check out their website to get the real story, warranties are honored. And probably for real, not like the "other guy" who claimed to pick up the warranties as a PR move, i know some guys who never got paid from him which is typical.
jjmcubed 5:27PM (10/28/2009)
Thank you for correcting me. Didn't know the whole story as must have missed the last release linked. Wonder why it took four months to correct the misinformation? If anyone knows the whole story I'd love to hear it.
larry raines 4:52PM (10/28/2009)
wow - something from Saleen that does not look like a caricature of a car.
I wonder what is going on there for them to turn out a nice looking product?
New management? New designers?
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leftlaneabuse 4:53PM (10/28/2009)
Nice, but the 2011 Mustang GT with the coyote 400hp motor will be priced less and since Steve left Saleen just isn't the same.
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TheDirtyTruth 11:04PM (10/28/2009)
You are correct, its not the same, it is even better after Steve left. I guess you can only be left hanging out to dry for so long.
tom 4:53PM (10/28/2009)
Looks nice, but I still think there are too many different Mustangs out there.
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Tom 5:18PM (10/28/2009)
There are also a lot of different *kinds* of cars, but that doesn't stop the autoblog faithful from talking about the best or worst ones.
In fact, I'm grateful that so many Mustang editions, good and bad, are out there. If it weren't for their popularity, we may never have been graced with the presence of this mean-looking pavement stomping machine. Many of us here would consider ourselves lucky to even ride in something like this.
Scott K. 4:53PM (10/28/2009)
Very nice. That is a good looking car. I really like that hood scoop (I've never said that before because the functional ones are usually not great looking and the rest are cosmetic, which I think is stupid). The front end is nice too.
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mk15 4:54PM (10/28/2009)
Clean looking Mustang, well done.
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