Steve Saleen is the automobile genius and brain behind Saleen Automotive; a company that specializes in the production of limited-edition, high-performance specialty vehicles. The outfit is highly famous for the Saleen S7, an incredible all-American hypercar that debuted back in 2000 with otherworldly performance stats and capabilities. However, the Saleen company inventory also includes modified vehicles based on cars like the new Bronco, Tesla, Ford F-150, and more importantly, Mustangs.
Steve Saleen has been building high-performance Mustang warhorses for over 30 years now and shares a fascinating history with the iconic pony cars. Here's everything you need to know about Saleen and his Mustangs.
10 Where The Journey Began
Steve Saleen might be well-known today because of his work with Mustangs but interestingly, that is not where it all started. He has always had a passion for high performance vehicles; an interest gotten in part, from his father.
According to reports, Steve would eventually acquire a sports car, a 1956 Porsche Type 356, and he did not take too long before he started modifying it, changing the bodywork and upgrades to boost the power output. That set the groundwork for what would later become his trademark when he shifted to Mustangs.
9 The Early Mustangs
It did not take long for Steve to move on from the Porsche and settle on a pony car; this time a Ford Shelby GT350. Here was a car that offered more horsepower and was probably easier to tinker with compared to the classic Porsche.
He continued to modify the Mustang until he lost it in a 1971 crash. He did not let that stop him though and a year later, he acquired another GT350; a car that would go on to play an important role in Steve's life.
8 Steve's First Professional Race Win
The automobile guru did not just love to modify cars, he also raced them and got to try out some of his modifications first hand. In 1973, he still had his second Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and it was with this car that he secured his first professional race win.
That event was the 1973 Riverside International Raceway competition. Steve would go on to race in other competitions like the Formula Atlantic open-wheel series and the SCCA Truck Championships, winning several other trophies and setting racing records along the way.
7 The First Production Saleen Mustangs
Saleen Automotive was founded in 1983, originally as Saleen Autosports. The following year, the company produced its first Saleen Mustangs. That debut production run comprised a total of 3 all-hatchback, fox-body Mustangs.
The cars were priced at about $4,500 over the regular Mustang GT and apart from brake and suspension tweaks, they also included modifications like side skirts, decklid spoilers, custom front air dams and interestingly, a radar detector.
6 The Ford Connections
Saleen Automotive has always enjoyed a good relationship with the American automaker. At a point, the company was a Tier 1 Ford supplier. Ford also sold some of the Saleen Mustangs as a high-performance offering, at its authorized dealerships. In 2002, Ford really stepped up the relationship when it awarded Saleen Automotive contracts to help engineer and assemble the Ford GT40.
Saleen handled the shipping and production of the paint that was used for the car. There was also close collaboration between the two companies during the design and testing of the powertrain, body and chassis.
5 The Serial Number Quirk
There's usually a story behind a company's more unusual business policies or practices and Saleen Automotive is no different, judging by the situation surrounding a serial number mix-up.
Saleen does not produce Mustangs with serial number '06', at least not from 1985. According to reports, Steve Saleen and his secretary miscounted the number of vehicles that year, omitting vehicle number 6 because they thought it was number 9. An interesting situation but at least, you can be sure any Saleen Mustang with a '06' serial number and post-1985, is most likely a fake.
4 The Saleen Mustang S302 Black Label 'Blazing Fury'
In February 2021, a Saleen Mustang was put up as the top prize in a sweepstakes contest. However, this was no ordinary Saleen Mustang but one that belonged to Steve Saleen himself.
He was personally involved with the paint scheme and customization of the car; a fiery Mustang that boasted an insane 800 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. The car, aptly named 'Blazing Fury' was once used as a press car and pace car for the the Saleen Cup Racing Series.
3 The Racing Heritage Of The Saleen Mustangs
The Saleen Mustangs were thoroughbred horses that have been involved in countless races over time. This should not be too much of a surprise, especially considering the racing DNA of the company's founder.
What is perhaps more remarkable is the fact that the Saleen Mustangs were quite successful at it, earning a total of 6 manufacturers' championships across various competitions. The Saleen Mustang also raced at the 1997 24-hour Le Mans, marking the Mustang's return to the prestigious race in over 30 years and finishing in an impressive 9th place overall.
2 A Collector's Classic
Saleen Automotive never mass produced its modified Mustangs and this has helped the early models' values in today's market. That, and the fact that the company has a reputation for producing great quality performance Mustangs.
According to Hagerty, the 1989 Saleen Mustang SSC and the 1991 Saleen Mustang SC command values of over $40,000, putting them behind only the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra from the same period. The forecast is that these values will continue on an upward trend in the near future.
1 The Anniversary Mustangs
Saleen has been building Mustangs now for over 3 decades; a period that has witnessed a few special Saleen Mustang editions to commemorate notable milestones. There was the Saleen SA10, built to celebrate the company's 10-year anniversary. It was equipped with a Vortech supercharger and had a special paint job.
The 20th Anniversary edition, in 2003, was the first Saleen Mustang fitted with a new lightbar and Saleen Tonneau cover. In 2014, an exclusive run of 10 cars were produced to mark the company's 30th anniversary. These cars were mostly finished with a dominant white paint scheme and had a supercharged V8 powerplant that cranked out 675 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque