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First Drive: SMS 570X makes 700 hp, gobs more joy

During the course of a wide-ranging, more than two-hour long conversation, we asked racing legend, aftermarket impresario and SMS namesake Steve Saleen what's the single most important thing he wants Autoblog readers to know about not only his new 700-horsepower 570X, but about SMS as a whole. Without missing a beat, Mr. Saleen cocked his head to one side and said, "That we're not a tuning shop. SMS is an Original Equipment Manufacturer." "We're not a tuner. SMS is an Original Equipment Manufacturer." - Steve Saleen Normally, when the head of a company that takes existing cars and ... Read More

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    MISC SMS 570X
    SMS Supercars previews 460 and 460X Mustangs
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    If you build it they will come. At least that's what Steve Saleen is hoping, and with his recent announcement regarding Saleen, Inc's warranties, we're guessing many of his loyal customers will indeed come with money in hand to buy his new tricked-out ponycar. Not that people will buy the car based on reputation alone - SMS has made sure that its 460 ...

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    New York: Steve Saleen's SMS 570X ups the ante with 700 supercharged horses
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    Under the bright sunlight of the Javits Center's Crystal Palace atrium, Steve Saleen took the covers off of his latest creation, the SMS 570X. The Dodge Challenger-based muscle car registers a few rungs above the 570 that we first viewed at its Orange County unveiling in January. Where that car was fitted with a 5.7-liter V8, the 570X utilizes a 6.0-liter ...

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    Stand Up Move: Steve Saleen steps in to honor warranties from his former company
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    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 ...

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    SMS 570 Challenger has a coming out party
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    Steve Saleen wanted to show us that his new company is going to be a little different than the old one. So to launch his first production model under the SMS badge, he rented out an Orange County night club and had a rave. Very unlike the Saleen launches we've attended in the past. After a couple hours of drinking and dancing, the cover was pulled off ...

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    Chinese automaker to build sedan on Saleen platform?
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    On one hand, Steve Saleen has two Challengers due out under his SMS brand. On the other, he's got the slightly tangled mess of CHAMCO, it's Chinese partner Zhongxing Auto, and their joint U.S. venture, ZX Auto North America International. Earlier this year, Steve was meant to be helping CHAMCO bring Chinese-made Zhongxing pickup trucks to America. Due to ...

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    MISC SMS 570X
    Steve Saleen announces 2010 Signature Series Mustangs
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    The 2010 Ford Mustang made its debut just a few weeks ago at the LA Auto Show and already various tuners around the country are preparing their variants based on the new model. Steve Saleen has beat everyone to the punch and is the first to announce his new lineup called the Signature Series 460 Mustangs. Each will feature a supercharged version of Ford's ...

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    SMS releases new images, price range for 570 and 570X Challenger
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    Click above for a high resolution image Steve Saleen's fledgling new company, SMS Supercars, is getting ready to officially debut its first production car and has released a few more photos and information regarding the 570 and 570X Challenger. According to the new press release, the two models are targeted to start at $60,000 and $70,000, respectively. ...

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    Blown HEMI: SMS announces new 296 supercharger system
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    Click above for a high resolution image Steve Saleen grabbed our attention when he announced his new company SMS Limited and gave us a preview of his upcoming versions of the Dodge Challenger, the 570TM and 570XTM. Since the preview only showed a rendering of the vehicle, we figured it would be quite some time before we saw an actual product. Our ...

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