Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Saleen's pre-pro Ford GT

The Ford GT went from concept to production in record time thanks to companies like ROUSH and Saleen that have niche manufacturing capabilities. Saleen handled the assembly of the GT in its 200,000-sq ft facility in Troy, MI, and whether it was part of the deal or just a thank you from Ford, Steve Saleen ended up owning a pre-production Ford GT, one of only nine built. There are some differences from the production version, including a 4.6-liter Mustang Cobra V8 that has been bored out to 5.4-liters, as well as a unique supercharger system made specifically for the car. The bad news is that its pre-production status means it can't be registered as a street legal vehicle, so this Ford GT will most likely be relegated to a collector's garage.

[Soure: eBay Motors]

Click above for a high resolution image

If you've noticed that there are more than a handful of Mustang variations out there, then consider Steve Saleen a trend setter. He's been tweaking Mustangs for 25 years now, and even though he and Saleen, Inc. parted ways last year, Steve has continued to work on Ford's ponycar with his new company, SMS Limited. While SMS released a rendering of an upcoming Challenger back in May, this 25th Anniversary Mustang Concept is the first actual vehicle the company has built. It features a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 720 horsepower, carbon fiber bodywork, 15-inch brakes, carbon fiber exterior trim, and a custom leather interior with two-tone seats. The SMS Mustang also has a unique Red Butterfly induction system and a pretty trick Light Blade taillight system. Follow the jump for a history of Steve Saleen's career and a complete list of features of the SMS 25th Anniversary Mustang Concept.

[Source: SMS Limited]

We're big fans of Steve Saleen. He's created some pretty incredible Mustangs over the last 25 years, and any guy that successfully builds his own supercar gets major props in our book. Plus, we could listen to his racing stories for hours. After he announced his retirement from Saleen, Inc last year, we were somewhat disappointed when he took the position of CEO at ZX Automobile, a Chinese car company hoping to import trucks into the United States. It's not that we think Steve wasn't up to the task; we were just hoping he would stick to sports cars.

We shouldn't have worried, because Steve announced the formation of his new company, SMS Limited, in March of this year with plans to develop vehicles based on the new breed of American muscle cars (Mustang, Challenger and Camaro) as well as race in the American Le Mans Series. We wanted to get more info on Steve's plans with the company, and what better way than to hear it from the man himself. We were able to get a one-on-one with Steve, and got some inside info on the new company and his plans to race an S7R in the ALMS. Interested? Follow the jump for the interview.

Unbeknownst to many, Steve Saleen's empire incorporates a number of brands beyond the one that pumps out modified Mustangs, including Saleen Autosport, Saleen Productions, Saleen Speedlab, Saleen Performance and Saleen, Inc. The legend has just announced he'll be adding one more brand to his portfolio focused solely on "high-end of the diverse American Muscle Car and Global Supercar markets." Called SMS Limited, this brand will allow Saleen to develop and distribute high-end supercars developed in-house, i.e. having nothing to do with Ford. We've also confirmed that the Saleen S5S Raptor concept debuting at the New York Auto Show next week has nothing to do with SMS Limited and remains a joint development between Saleen, Inc. and ASC.

In the press release after the jump, Saleen also reveals that his company will have turn-key tuned versions and performance parts available for the entire trio of modern American muscle cars coming onto the market in a couple years, including the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. Finally, he also makes mention of Saleen's return to American Le Mans Series racing, which we'll learn more about in the near future.

New Saleen supercars; Saleen versions of the next Mustang, Challenger and Camaro; and a return to ALMS racing? Sounds like a solid business plan to us.

[Source: Saleen]

Not that it's much of a surprise, but It didn't take long for Steve Saleen to find a new job. Less than a month after leaving his eponymous specialty manufacturing company, AutoWeek is reporting that Steve has landed a new gig. The somewhat surprising part is that he is the new CEO of ZX Automobile Company of North America (ZXNA). ZXNA is a subsidiary of China America Cooperative Automotive (Chamco), and the New Jersey company has started the process of bringing Chinese vehicles into the States.

ZXNA plans to bring two Chinese models to these shores later this year, a pickup truck and an SUV that will probably be sold in Mexico at first because they don't currently meet U.S. emissions and safety standards. Their pricing will start at around $13,000. ZXNA is trying to establish a network of 150 U.S. dealers, though, and it's at 20% of that goal so far. Eventually the company plans to build an assembly plant in Baja, Mexico that will build those vehicles intended for sale in the United States. They've set a goal of 30,000 vehicles a year by 2009, which is about four times what they produce currently. There's no word on whether the Chinese vehicles will get the trademark Saleen slats, fins and rockers, but we doubt the bumpers will accommodate a serialized production number of up-to five digits.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Steve Saleen has announced his official retirement from Saleen, Inc., the company he founded 23 years ago that has grown into one of the best specialty vehicle manufacturers in the world. Apparently Steve is happy with the team he's assembled to manage the business in his place, and will be stepping back while maintaining a role as "corporate spokesperson and ambassador for the brand." We bet that job will come with a corner office, too.

Since he's still a major shareholder in the company, Saleen will have influence over product design, branding, marketing and other activities related to the biz, but there will certainly be a few more rounds of golf sneaked in between those boardroom meetings going forward.

His company seems to be doing well these days. The S7 in all its iterations is one of the most brutally fast vehicles in the world, and the company's many Mustangs are some of the best on the market (of which there are many). The Saleen Parnelli Jones Edition Mustang is our favorite Mustang on sale today, and the Heritage Edition promises to be nice a follow up. The company also has a nice business helping the OEMs build cars, having played a major part in the Ford GT's development and production. Word is Saleen will have new announcements about OEM partnerships in the near future, as well. Steve, however, may get to skip that press conference.

You can read Saleen's official press release after the jump, and we've included some of our fave Saleen galleries below.

Thanks for the tip, Dan!

[Source: Saleen Inc.]

Click above for gallery of high-res images by Drew Phillips and the author

Day 1 of our first encounter with the Saleen S331 Sport Truck had us exploring the versatility of the truck. We started off by using the vehicle as a swanky ride through the heart of ultra-rich Orange County. A cruise down PCH gave us a chance to sample the ride and power, and to gauge public interest at the extremes of demographic segments. We got just as many thumbs up from the Lexus and Benz set as we did from the pickup and motorcycle crowd. We even had a chance to see how well the truck performed as, well, a truck. With payload that represented what Saleen sees as its target market's toys, we convoyed over to Newport Harbor with a selection of bikes and watercraft that culminated with a 30-ft powerboat. It's definitely a civilized and capable truck, but we wanted to better sample the "Sport" part. And that's what Day 2 was all about.

We met up at the shuttered El Toro Marine Base, which still has its two long airstrips reasonably intact and available for testing. With just about every model from Saleen's current lineup on hand, we were given a pretty compelling reminder that Saleen and performance go hand-in-hand. On one side we had the fleet of S331 Sport Trucks, on the other a row of Mustangs that ran from the Parnelli Jones, to the S281 SC, to the Extreme. At the head of the class sat a silver S7 under the company's new "School of Speed" banner. There is some talk that this will become a traveling show that will allow owners to better understand their vehicle's limits. We also found out a few other things about the truck and the company over the next few hours, most importantly, how the S331 stacks up against Ford's current sportiest truck, the F-150 FX2 Sport that was on hand for comparison purposes.

Follow the jump to find out how the truck (and the author) did in the autocross.

We recently had a chance to sample Saleen's newest offering, the S331 Sport Truck, in and around Newport Beach, California. A small fleet of these sport trucks looked right at home parked in front of the Harbor, directly in the shadows of the multi-million dollar yachts at the Balboa Bay Club. We even had an older couple chase us down in their customized BMW 7-series and place an order. We kid you not. The S331 is a new vehicle and new segment for this small manufacturer better known for its Mustangs and S7 supercar. Getting into trucks was a logical development for Saleen, as the dealerships that handle their products report that nearly three quarters of their sales are trucks. So when there appeared to be enough interest in a Saleen truck, they decided to build one. Notice we said "build one" and not "modify one."

Follow the jump for the rest of the Day 1 story. And don't forget to check out the gallery of high-res pics from Drew Phillips and the author.

High-res gallery of ten Drew Phillips pics available by clicking image above

What would you drive if you were Steve Saleen's daughter? A Mustang, right? Probably a customized one at that. Well, Steve Saleen's daughter, Molly, does indeed drive a custom Mustang. One with a special paint job custom-blended for her and named in her honor, too. This isn't unprecedented actually. Steve's wife, Liz, also has a paint color named after her, Lizstick red, that is available as an optional Saleen factory paint color. Daughter Molly is actually more than just Steve and Liz's daughter. She is also an active part of the company, running the Saleen retail store in Irvine, CA.

But the car is what we're focused on here. The Saleen Molly Pop Mustang features the previously mentioned one-off Molly Pop paint job that in itself would make this Mustang stand out, but there's so much more. Her S281 Mustang also features the Saleen supercharger with the 475-hp upgrade (new air box cover with 98mm MAF sensor, 39lb fuel injectors, smaller pulley, and modified Saleen programming). Although it doesn't have the full Extreme 550 hp rating, her car does have the Extreme package that includes the lighter 20" forged 5-spoke rims, carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, and shorter gearing. The Molly Pop also features the watts-link suspension in the rear and the scenic roof option. As is corporate custom, this first car's fender number reads "01" – and this will probably be the only one built. Of course, Saleen is quick to note that they have always painted customer cars in whatever color the customer requests.

[Source: Mustang Life Online]

Forever known as a tuner of all things Mustangs, Saleen is going to be broadening its portfolio to include more than just that one pony car in its corral. An interview with Steve Saleen by CarCrazy.com Assistant Editor John Breaux reveals that Saleen will likely be working with General Motors on future products, including the new Camaro.

Saleen also reveals that the Camaro's top end V8 will be a 6.2-liter producing 450 horsepower that will also be the new base engine in the Corvette. The Camaro's base V8, he goes on to say, will probably be a detuned version of the same engine. From there, Saleen plans to have a base Camaro model available making around 485 horsepower, with a supercharged version producing 600 horsepower. Saleen has been buddying up with General Motors on the set of the new Transformers movie, where a new Camaro has been cast to play the part of Bumblebee.

[Source: Stangnet.com]