Just like the majority of the automotive industry, recent news about Saleen hasn't been great. After going broke and selling most of their assets, Saleen Inc. announced that they were ceasing operations and would not be honoring existing warranties on cars and parts. To make things worse, the new owner of the Saleen car and aftermarket lines, MJ Acquisitions, Inc., refused to take the responsibility as well, only honoring warranties on parts purchased after February 2, 2009. It appeared that Saleen owners were out of luck. Enter Steve Saleen, who, despite not being involved with the company since the middle of 2007, has just announced that his new company, SMS Supercars, will honor existing warranties on Saleen products.

It's a move that's classy, honorable, and in our opinion pure genius. We could be wrong, but we're guessing that any costs incurred by SMS will be offset by the flood of faithful customers that will gratefully switch their loyalty from the company to the man that bears the Saleen name. Judging from a handful of owners' reactions, the announcement has already had that effect. With an SMS version of the 2010 Mustang on the way, it will be interesting to see just how many Saleen owners return the favor. Check out the press release after the jump for more details on how current Saleen owners can receive warranty coverage from SMS. Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Source: SMS Supercars, SOEC.org]

We've been through a lot of great car collections and museums over the years, but even we have to admit that we've never seen a private collection like this. Assembled by a shadowy figure known only as "The Sultan of Michigan," this cache has something for car enthusiasts of most every stripe, although the focus is clearly on vintage and present-day muscle and Eighties-and-up supercars. Truck enthusiasts, vintage foreign guys and brass car enthusiasts will largely have to look elsewhere, but it's a magnificent collection, with the most flabbergasting thing being that it appears to be up-to-the-minute current.

The whereabouts and ownership of the collection are two things that the owner prefers to keep private – we actually have confirmation on both, but prefer to respect privacies. What we can confirm is that this treasure trove is, in fact, located in Michigan, which is both heartening (to know that such wealth and mechanical beauty still exists in the state) and somewhat confounding (as the area lacks truly great winding roads on which to exploit much of the machinery). In either case, the collection is generally kept under wraps, although periodically we understand that the owner invites in selected parties to share in the gorgeousness. Some of the folks at MidwestSSC.com are obviously part of the 'inner circle' judging by the video and this photo gallery. Follow the jump to take the tour for yourself. Thanks to Andrew Weber for use of his video, and we appreciate the tips, Justin and Evan!

[Sources: Andrew Weber; MidwestSCC.com]

It looks like many of Saleen's customers may be out of luck when it comes to the warranties on their vehicles. MJ Acquisitions -- the firm that recently purchased assets from Saleen, Inc. including the rights to the S and Racecraft lines as well as Saleen's aftermarket parts division -- sent a letter to dealers informing them that they're not liable for warranty claims and that responsibility would fall on the former owners of the brand. However, Saleen, Inc. announced it has completely ceased operations and will no longer honor warranty claims, leaving it to owners to pay for any maintenance on their vehicles regardless of when it was purchased. This also includes any vehicles languishing on dealers' lots, so any unsold 2008 or 2009 Saleen or Racecraft models will essentially come without a warranty. The small amount of good news is the MJ Acquisitions will continue to provide parts to dealers, and any parts purchased after February 2, 2009 will come with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. Thanks for the tip, Chris!



[Source: soec.org]

Saleen's future has been in upheaval the last few years. First, company founder Steve Saleen left, then the company's assets were sold off to private investors. Its new owners plan to continue making superchargers and bolt-on parts, but Saleen's turnkey Racecraft and S lines could face the axe, while the company's former keepers retain ownership of its supercar manufacturing business while they figure out what they can do with it.

Meanwhile, Chrysler has been looking to sell of its Viper operation, but while Saleen could have been a contender in years past, in its current condition few expect it to make such a large acquisition. That may be a false assumption, however, as silence is speaking louder than words. Understandably, Chrysler's management is not disclosing the identities of the three potential buyers with which it is discussing the future of the Viper enterprise, but Saleen's new owners are likewise refusing to comment. That kind of silence can be as deafening as a Saleen exhaust note, leaving us to wonder if the company's new owners could turn the broken shards of a once-great American company into a new powerhouse with the Viper packing the punch.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Rumors have been swirling this past week about the potential sale of Saleen, Inc., just a few months after the company announced it would explore the sale of its operations. LA-based Hancock Park Associates, which purchased a majority of the business from Steve Saleen just a few years ago, had been recently running the company with just a few dozen employees to keep the business going until it could find a buyer. The sale is now finally official, with MJ Acquisitions purchasing a majority of the assets of the company including both the production car and aftermarket divisions. Other assets, including the S7, S5 Raptor and the paint operations remain with Saleen, Inc. Currently, all Saleen employees are officially out of a job, including CEO Chris Theodore, but MJ Acquisitions plans on hiring many of the workers including several that were previously laid off.

The new owners seem to be a good fit, already owning several automotive companies and benefiting from extensive experience in engineering and production related to performance vehicles. MJ Acquisitions' immediate plans include the development of the 2010 Mustang for the Racecraft brand as well as new Saleen models that will be introduced in the third quarter of 2009. Full details regarding the sale can be found in the press release after the jump.


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: SOEC.org]

Click above for a high-res gallery of Saleen's Irvine assembly plant

In addition to the sunshine, warm weather and availability of good driving roads, one of the biggest benefits of living in Southern California is the proximity of automotive related businesses. Dozens of tuners, manufacturers, hot rodders and racers all reside in SoCal, making it an ideal place for a car nut to call home. As one who would enthusiastically place myself in that category, one of my favorite places to visit in the last several years was the Saleen assembly plant in Irvine. From their annual car show to personal tours to press events, I always enjoyed stopping by to see what Steve Saleen had up his sleeve. There were always one-off projects like an SVT Contour Prototype or a Bonspeed Edition Thunderbird, and there seemed to be at least one or two racecars lying around.

Of course, during every visit I had to check out the S7 build area where there were always at least a few of the supercars in various states of completion. I loved seeing the bare carbon fiber bodies, and there is a stunning white S7 Twin-Turbo that still has a special place in my heart. Of course, the high point was during the production of the Parnelli Jones Mustang, with the facility running at full tilt and Parnelli Jones and George Follmer joining Steve Saleen for photos on the car's debut.

With the economic downturn and Steve leaving the company in the summer of 2007, it was only a matter of time before Saleen consolidated all of its operations and moved everything to its Detroit facility. Lamenting the fact that I would no longer be stop by the Saleen building, I was browsing through my photo archives and decided it was time to share the pictures. I've assembled a huge gallery of my favorite images from the past five and a half years for your viewing enjoyment, all of which include descriptions providing any relevant information and the date the photo was taken. Enjoy!

All photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Saleen is much more than just hot-rodded Mustangs and S7 supercars, and now, it's also for sale. Founder Steve Saleen departed in 2007, deciding that it might be more interesting to try and import a Chinese pickup truck for Chamco, and starting up a new performance company, SMS. Saleen's eponymous company does work for automakers; the company built the Ford GT and Dodge's Viper gets its paint and some subassembly work at Saleen, too. Saleen's board has hired an advisor to investigate what level of interest there might be from potential buyers. Recent economic developments aren't going to make it an easy sale, but Saleen would like to sell itself by early 2009.

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

Click above for a larger image of the twin-turbo Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang

There's a special place in our hearts for the Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang. After a week in the Autoblog Garage we fell in love with the wonderful 302-ci V8, amazingly sharp handling, and Trans-Am inspired looks. If we were to pick any of the current Mustang variants, the PJ would probably be it. Because of the collectability of the car (a total of 500 were produced) we're guessing that most owners have left their cars stock, but one particular owner decided to make his Parnelli Jones Mustang truly unique. How? He added dual 57mm Precision turbos, upgraded forged pistons, aluminum heads, a full three-inch exhaust system, and much, much more. In total, the motor produces 768 horsepower and 769 lb-ft torque -- at the wheels! The look of the car remains completely unchanged, making it as much of a sleeper as a car painted in Grabber Orange can be. The modded Parnelli is now up for sale on eBay Motors, and we're wishing that we had significantly more funding in our bank accounts.

[Source: eBay Motors]

To celebrate its 26th year as Orange County's most prestigious classic car show, this year's Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance moved from its recent home in Irvine to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Still not Newport Beach, but much closer to the ocean at least. Benefiting the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and the Assessment and Treatment Services Center, the event featured Cadillac as its honored marque to commemorate GM's 100th birthday this year. Besides the gorgeous 1931 Cadillac Sport Phaeton V16 Fleetwood poster car, there were at least a dozen other notable Caddys, as well as about 150 other beautiful classic and collector cars, of which you can see most of them in our high-res gallery below.

Although a notch below the premier events like Pebble Beach, some of the most beautiful and significant vehicles around show up for this concours. Representatives from The Petersen, The Nethercutt Collection, the William Lyon Estate, the Mercedes Classic Center, the Simon Collection, the Caballeriza Collection, and the Marconi Museum were on display, alongside some superb machinery from local collectors like David Sydorick and Peter Mullin. Altogether there were about 150 cars in 14 classes. Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Packards, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Delahayes, Mercedes, Rolls-Royces, Duesenbergs, Woodies, race cars and even a horseless carriage or two were visible through the fog around the links.

Personal favorites included the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Sport Coupe, 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet, 1908 Niclausse D971B, 1961 Abarth 1000 GT Bialbero Berlinetta, 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Berlinetta, 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota, 2006 Saleen S7R, 1959 Ferrari 410 Super America Series III, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Shooting Brake Woody, 1933 Duesenberg J Speedster and the blue Ferrari 550 Barchetta in the parking lot. Another great show for a wonderful cause.


All photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.