Ford Tuner Saleen is Done
03-09-2011, 10:14 AM
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Ford Tuner Saleen is Done Saleen to end Mustang production
Mike Spinelli
The era of tuner Mustangs that began when racer Steve Saleen set up shop in the 1980s ended today, when the owner of Saleen Performance Vehicles announced it will end production of vehicles to focus on aftermarket parts. Carpocalypse: Tuner.
Producer of Saleen vehicles and parent company of the Saleen Speedlab parts division, Revstone, said today the company's final car will be the 2011 Saleen S302. Production will wrap by the third quarter of this year.
Steve Saleen resigned from the company that bears his name in 2007, to start SMS Supercars, a manufacturer of tuned Mustangs, Dodge Challengers and other vehicles. Under the guidance of Saleen (suh-LEEN, not SAY-leen), the company became the second most recognizable Mustang tuner, next to those once tagged by Carrol Shelby, with whom Saleen was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame in 1996. One such car was the 1989 Saleen SSC, which started as a V8-powered Mustang LX hatchback, and ended as a cut-rate Porsche 930 fighter.
In a letter to their customers and dealers, Saleen Performance Vehicles said the following:
Over the past several years, we have witnessed a lot of confusion around the Saleen brand, due to a number of financial ups and downs and accompanying changes in ownership. The name itself has become the center of countless conversations and debates, detracting from the cars themselves, and from the culture of performance that they both embody and serve.
The statement continues...
Through our conversations with Ford Motor Company and one another, we have come to feel that those things have become overshadowed by questions surrounding the name. So we want to wipe the slate clean, and usher in a new era of American Muscle. We are confident that, in time, you will agree this was the right decision.
Mike Spinelli
The era of tuner Mustangs that began when racer Steve Saleen set up shop in the 1980s ended today, when the owner of Saleen Performance Vehicles announced it will end production of vehicles to focus on aftermarket parts. Carpocalypse: Tuner.
Producer of Saleen vehicles and parent company of the Saleen Speedlab parts division, Revstone, said today the company's final car will be the 2011 Saleen S302. Production will wrap by the third quarter of this year.
Steve Saleen resigned from the company that bears his name in 2007, to start SMS Supercars, a manufacturer of tuned Mustangs, Dodge Challengers and other vehicles. Under the guidance of Saleen (suh-LEEN, not SAY-leen), the company became the second most recognizable Mustang tuner, next to those once tagged by Carrol Shelby, with whom Saleen was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame in 1996. One such car was the 1989 Saleen SSC, which started as a V8-powered Mustang LX hatchback, and ended as a cut-rate Porsche 930 fighter.
In a letter to their customers and dealers, Saleen Performance Vehicles said the following:
Over the past several years, we have witnessed a lot of confusion around the Saleen brand, due to a number of financial ups and downs and accompanying changes in ownership. The name itself has become the center of countless conversations and debates, detracting from the cars themselves, and from the culture of performance that they both embody and serve.
The statement continues...
Through our conversations with Ford Motor Company and one another, we have come to feel that those things have become overshadowed by questions surrounding the name. So we want to wipe the slate clean, and usher in a new era of American Muscle. We are confident that, in time, you will agree this was the right decision.
03-09-2011, 10:32 AM
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From what I found, they won't be closing their doors, they'll just no longer produce car packages.
I read somewhere that they will still be producing parts.
It's still a damn shame, Saleens have always been great handling cars.
I read somewhere that they will still be producing parts.
It's still a damn shame, Saleens have always been great handling cars.
Last edited by DiscerningZ32; 03-09-2011 at 10:39 AM.
03-09-2011, 01:15 PM
#4
Damn, end of an era. 
I met Steve once back in 1993 at Lime Rock Park in CT, pretty innovative guy.
I almost bought an '88 Saleen Mustang convertible down in Delaware once as well.
I met Steve once back in 1993 at Lime Rock Park in CT, pretty innovative guy.
I almost bought an '88 Saleen Mustang convertible down in Delaware once as well.
