Saleen
- For the town in Ireland see, Saleen, County Cork.
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
Key people | Steve Saleen, Billy Tally, John Spruill |
| Products | Sports cars, Supercars |
Number of employees | 170 |
| Website | [1] |
Saleen, Incorporated, commonly known as Saleen, is an American manufacturer of high performance sports cars and high performance automotive parts based in Irvine, California. Saleen is a Delaware corporation owned by Hancock Park Associates.
Saleen manufactures limited edition, high-performance vehicles. Saleen is an automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and the last American small car manufacturer bearing OEM status. Unlike aftermarket "tuner" companies, Saleen is subject to the same federal regulations governing design and testing of their automotive products as larger vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, or Toyota. Most of Saleen's vehicles are highly modified versions of existing mass produced sports cars such as the Ford Mustang. Saleen has produced over 8,000 modified Mustangs since its inception. It also produces modified versions of a number of other Ford models.
Saleen's flagship car is the Saleen S7, introduced in 2000. The S7 is a mid-engine, high-performance supercar that was initially priced at just under US$400,000. The S7 won four different GT championships in 2001 and has broken records at the prestigious 24-Hour Le Mans race. The S7 is Saleen's first production car not based on an existing design.
The parts and gear department of the company markets car parts and accessories such as custom wheels, exhaust systems, brakes and other high performance parts. At the end of July 2006, Saleen opened a retail store at the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, California to sell these car parts and accessories directly to customers and to offer vehicle sales without a need for a sales-lot.
Saleen operates an assembly plant (Saleen Special Vehicles) in Troy, Michigan where it conducted assembly and painting for the Ford GT supercar for Ford Motor Company and currently offers prototyping and show-car building services to other automotive OEMs.
As of mid-2005, Saleen discontinued manufacture of the "Nitrous-ready" N2O S121 Saleen Focus. The 550hp (429 kW) naturally-aspirated mid-engine Saleen S7 [1] was discontinued after the 2004 model year with the introduction of the Saleen S7TT although both editions are commonly referred to as the Saleen S7.
History
The company was founded in 1983 originally as Saleen Autosport by Steve Saleen, a former Formula Atlantic race car driver. In 1984, Saleen Autosport became Saleen Performance, Incorporated. In the late 1990s, the company was renamed Saleen, Incorporated. In early 2007, Daniel Reiner was appointed Chairman and CEO of Saleen. On May 14, 2007, Steve Saleen and Billy Tally resigned from Saleen after nearly 24 and approximately 9 years with the company, respectively. At the time of his resignation, Steve Saleen was serving in the position of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors while Billy Tally was the Chief Officer of Technology.
Upcoming Models
- Saleen H281 - A limited-production (100-unit) version of the Mustang sharing some bodywork features with the Parnelli Jones Limited Edition but available in different colors and equipped with a 281 CID engine configured similarly to the S281 3-Valve. Key cosmetic differences from the Parnelli Jones Limited Edition include a smaller front air dam, lack of a hood scoop, the addition of fender badges and a matte-black hood center.
- Saleen H302 - 390 HP -
- Saleen H302 SC - 500+ HP -
- Saleen S281 3V - 335 HP -
- Saleen S281 SC - 465 HP -
- Saleen S302 E - 600+ HP -
Current range
The current (2007) model range consists of:
- Saleen S7R (2005-) - a non-street legal racing-only version of the S7, intended for races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans sharing the updated body styling of the S7TT
- Saleen S281 3-valve - a 335hp modified 5th Generation Ford Mustang
- Saleen S281 SC - a 465hp supercharged version of the S281
- Saleen S281 Extreme - a 550hp modified 5th Generation Mustang including a Saleen-built V8 engine replacing the Ford Engine
- Saleen S281 Scenic Roof - available in 3-valve, SC, and Extreme editions, this Mustang has a glass full-roof panel
- Saleen S331 - a 325hp performance sport truck based upon the Ford F-150 FX2
- Saleen S331SC - a supercharged, 450hp performance sport truck based upon the Ford F-150 FX2
- Saleen S302 Parnelli Jones Limited Edition - A special edition run of 500 Mustang-based vehicles sporting styling reminiscent of the 302 Boss for which the first customer vehicle deliveries occurred on 9 November 2006
Past Models
- Saleen SR - A 1990s Mustang GT modified with Saleen performance parts and a body kit.
- Saleen SC - A limited edition Saleen Foxbody Mustang. 13 Hatchbacks made in 1990; 10 hatchbacks made in 1991; and 3 hatchbacks 2 convertibles in 1993 with Vortech Supercharger.
- Saleen SA-10 - A limited edition 1993 Mustang to commerate the 10th anniversary of Saleen with 10 cars, but only 9 were built. The cars sported a black and yellow paint scheme, 3-piece stern wheels, and leather Recaro seats while being a two seater. All the SA-10 mustangs were built the same but they were all ordered different by the owners.
- Saleen SSC - A limited edition 1989 Mustang, the first Saleen with engine and drivetrain modifications
- Saleen S351 Extreme -
- Saleen S351R - Based upon a Mustang SVT Cobra utilizing a supercharged 5.8 Liter Ford Windsor V8
- Saleen SA15 - A Saleen mustang that commerated the 15th Anniversary of Saleen in 1998. The SA15 is a yellow convertible with black decals. The reverse paint scheme of the 10th anniversay car the SA10. Under the hood the SA15 sported the 4.6L with a supercharger and on the feet wore the Stern five star rims in yellow.
- Saleen S281 - Based upon a Mustang GT base with suspension upgrades and stock 4.6L SOHC V8(281 ci), debuted in 1996 and became flagship model for Saleen with the largest production of all Saleen Vehicles.
- Saleen S281 Scenic Roof, first edition - available in 3-valve, SC, and Extreme editions, this Mustang has a hand-installed glass full-roof panel and was offered for the 2006 model year with limited production into February 2007
- Saleen XP8 - A performance SUV based upon the Ford Explorer with an eight cylinder engine
- Saleen XP6 - A performance SUV based upon the Ford Explorer with a six cylinder engine
- Saleen Ranger - A performance truck based upon the Ford Ranger and originally developed for racing during the 1980s
- N2O S121 Saleen Focus - a Ford Focus that was pre-wired for use with a Saleen-designed nitrous oxide system. If the system appeared to have been activated, the Ford warranty would be instantly voided. This was the last Saleen product line that was federally recognized as an aftermarket-manufactured vehicle.
- Saleen S7 (2000-2004) - This naturally-aspirated version of the S7 was manufactured until the introduction of the S7 Twin Turbo for the 2005 model year
- Saleen S7TT (2005-2006) - A 750hp twin Turbo version of the S7, mid-engine supercar with aftermarket options for packages that offer 850 or 1000hp
- Saleen S7R (2000-2004) - the original edition of a racing-only version of the S7, designed for races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Canceled Programs
As with all automotive OEMs, Saleen, Incorporated has sustained a number of program cancellations.
- Mustang GTS - A Saleen-built Ford Mustang based upon the V6 platform and sharing styling elements with the S302 Parnelli Jones Limited Edition. This project was canceled by Saleen Executive Management for undisclosed reasons.
- Saleen S4 - A high performance supercar sharing styling elements with the Saleen S7 with more compact packaging and a superformed aluminum skin instead of carbon fiber. This vehicle was to have been offered in R (roadster) and C (coupe) variants prior to being canceled. Cancellation of this project is the proported reason for the resignation of Steve Saleen and Billy Tally.
Literary and media references
- A Saleen S281 Speedster and S351 Speedster each appear in the film Back In Business
- A Saleen S7 was driven by Jim Carrey (as Bruce Nolan) in the film Bruce Almighty. Jim Carrey owns an S7.
- A Saleen S7 appears in the 50 Cent music video Candy Shop.
- A silver Saleen S281 Speedster was Josh Hartnett's ride in the film Hollywood Homicide
- A red V6 mustang configured to appear as a Saleen S281 Supercharged was featured in the film 2 Fast 2 Furious
- A Saleen S281 in police trim has been spotted on the set for the upcoming live-action Transformers film with the motto 'To Punish And Enslave' emblazoned on it. This has been confirmed to be the alt. mode of the Decepticon Barricade.
- In addition to the police-themed S281, a Saleen-modified Pontiac GTO equipped to appear similar to the Chevrolet Camaro concept car has also been spotted on the Transformers movie set. It has been confirmed that this is the alter mode of Autobot fan-favorite Bumblebee.
- The S7TT is one of the cars featured in the console game Test Drive Unlimited for Xbox 360.
- A lizstick red Saleen S7 was used to promote the Gilette Mach3 Turbo razorblade in 2004; it also appears on the packaging.
- A Beryllium S7 TT was purchased by the producer of the movie Redline for use in filming.
- A Saleen S7 and a Saleen SR are drivable cars in the console game Midnight Club III: DUB Edition. The Saleen SR is considered one of the best cars in the game because of it's drifting capabilities.
- A Saleen S281E, S7, and S7TT are drivable cars in the console game Project Gotham Racing 3.
Trivia
- The Saleen paint color lizstick red is named for Steve's wife, Elizabeth.
- The Saleen XP6 was an "unintentional" product model; V6 Ford Explorer base vehicles were ordered accidentally and could not be returned to Ford, resulting in a financially-driven decision to convert and sell the vehicles.
- At the 2007 New York International Auto Show, Chip Foose unveiled a Ford-endorsed limited edition F150, powered by a Saleen-designed powertrain.
- The Saleen-designed supercharger system in the F-150-based S331 is offered by Ford as a factory-installed option on Harley Davidson Edition F150s.
- As of the 2007 model year, Saleen has not recertified the S7TT for EPA emissions, suggesting that manufacture of the street-legal version has terminated.
External links
