Saleen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the town in Ireland see, Saleen, County Cork.
| Saleen, Incorporated | |
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| Type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
| Key people | Steve Saleen, Billy Tally |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Sports cars, Supercars |
| Employees | 400 |
| Slogan | Power in the Hands of a Few |
| 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. The company was founded in 1983 originally as Saleen Performance, Incorporated by Steve Saleen, a former Formula Atlantic race car driver. Saleen is a Delaware corporation.
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. Most of Saleen's vehicles are 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 the Ford Focus and 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 first 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 branch 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 market these car parts and accessories directly to customers in addition to offering vehicle sales.
Saleen operates an assembly plant (Saleen Special Vehicles) in Troy, Michigan where it built the Ford GT supercar for Ford Motor Company and 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 575hp (429 kW) mid-engine supercar naturally-aspirated Saleen S7 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.
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[edit] Upcoming Models
- Mustang GTS - A Saleen-built Ford Mustang based upon the V6 platform and sharing styling elements with the S302 Parnelli Jones Limited Edition
- Mustang Heritage Edition - a version of the Mustang slated to share some bodywork features with the Parnelli Jones Limited Edition but available in different colors and available with a choice between a 281 CID and 302 CID engine.
[edit] Current range
The current (2006) model range consists of:
- Saleen S7TT - A 750hp twin Turbo version of the S7, mid-engine supercar
- Saleen S7R - a non-street legal racing-only version of the S7, intended for races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Saleen S281 3-valve - a 325hp modified 5th Generation Ford Mustang
- Saleen S281 SC - a 435hp 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 450hp performance sport truck based upon the Ford F-150
- 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
[edit] Past Models
- Saleen SR - A 1990s Mustang GT modified with Saleen performance parts and a body kit.
- Saleen SC - A limited edition 1990 Mustang with Paxton Supercharged version of the SR
- Saleen SSC - A limited edition 1989 Mustang, the first Saleen with engine and drivetrain modifications
- Saleen S351R - Based upon a Mustang SVT Cobra utilizing a supercharged 5.8 Liter Ford Windsor V8
- Saleen S281 - Based upon a Mustang GT base with suspension upgrades and stock 4.6L SOHC V8(281 ci) debuted 1996 became flagship model for Saleen and has largest production of all Saleen Vehicles.
- 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
- 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 (Naturally Aspirated) - This version of the S7 was manufactured until the introduction of the S7 Twin Turbo for the 2005 model year
[edit] Literary and media references/Trivia
- 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 will be the alt. 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.
- A Saleen S7 and S7TT are drivable cars in the console game Project Gotham Racing 2.
[edit] External links
