New "Saleen 351"

Fuerza

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I saw this announcement on Molly Saleen's Twitter. It looks like Saleen is going to build another 351 powered car! 700 Horses! :banana:

Saleen Announces the 351 Mustang

SALEEN ANNOUNCES THE 351 MUSTANG
Enhancing the current model lineup with the specially built 351 Cubic Inch offering.


Los Angeles, CA – (November 29, 2012) Hot on the heels of Steve Saleen regaining his namesake brand comes the first model announcement since the news was released. Making his announcement at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the well known man of Mustangs announced the Saleen 351 Mustang.

“Since regaining the Saleen brand, I really want to bring it all together with the heritage that Saleen is known for”, said Steve Saleen. “With the current Saleen [302] Mustang model it provides all the right features to bring back and update the S351 model.”

After nearly 13 years since a Saleen production vehicle has been powered by a 351 c.i.d. powerplant, this new model debut has an exciting list of technological and design offerings under the Saleen 351 model name.

Power
The most notable component in the 351 is the Saleen engineered 351 cubic inch V8 engine which will produce 700 hp and 655 ft-lb of torque when paired with the Saleen 296 supercharger system.

“Everything about this project has been mindful of the goal to create the most potent Mustang on the market”, said Al Wagner, V.P. of Engineering. “I think we have certainly pushed the bar in the production Mustang segment with our 351 offering. Once the project came together I couldn’t help but thinking; if the 302 mustang is using a coyote engine, the 351 is definitely the gray wolf of the class.”

Transferring all of that power requires the use of some specialized equipment as well. The Saleen 351 will utilize a 6-speed transmission equipped with a high performance Saleen clutch system, and a 3.73:1 final drive ratio to ensure that the power will be where its most required, on the ground.

Brakes, Wheels and Tires
Working in conjunction to the wheel, tire, and Saleen S4 suspension are the Saleen 15” brake package which are a well-placed component of this 700 hp Saleen vehicle. “A multi-piston brake caliper setup is critical to a high performance vehicle of this caliber”, added Wagner. “The amount of power that this vehicle can deliver is astounding and needed to have a well composed counterpart allowing it comparable stopping power.”

Rounding out the performance system on the 351 are the Saleen 5-spoke alloy wheels wrapped with high performance tires. Setup in a staggered formation of 20x9 front and 20x10 rear, the slalom performance times and corning capabilities are set to be on-par with levels approaching those of pure bred racecars.

Design
Building on the design elements from the Saleen 302 Mustang, the 351 will feature the Red Butterfly Center Ram Air Induction system which has become a signature of the Saleen brand. A truly functional system, the Red Butterfly hood allows cold air to intake through the butterfly scoop design as they open-up under throttle. Once the air passes through the butterfly openings it is directed through the engine compartment to the 351’s powerplant where it becomes a tributary to the air intake system. Additional design components include full carbon fiber front and side splitters, as well as a carbon fiber rear diffuser which houses the F-1 style tail lamp. A complete treatment of Saleen 351 badging and graphics will also be included to complement any one of the standard or custom Saleen paint schemes available on all Saleen vehicles.
 

KurtDog

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Looks pretty sweet, but I'm guessing the price will be above a new GT500.
 

1hot281

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Looks pretty sweet, but I'm guessing the price will be above a new GT500.

I don't think that's even a guess. It's guaranteed more expensive than a GT500. If it's anything like the Saleen's of yesterday, I'd bet close to twice the price of a GT500... the new Saleen/SMS 302-Black Label's MSRP can be nearly $70k with options... so i'd assume the 351 will be more than that...

Saleen's have never been cheap. My 2004 S281's MSRP with dealer markup was almost $10k more than a 2004 Cobra. A supercharged Saleen S281 was even more than mine, and a Saleen S281-Extreme was twice the price of a Cobra or more, depending on options...
 

thepizz

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Yep, saleen was pretty cool from the 1980's all the way to the last S351 in 1999. The company has really been a complete fail ever since. Especially with the mustang. Saleen just seems like a sellout now.

IMO, the day he sold the company to "tune" other cars, he essentially turned his back on the entire Saleen mustang community. Leaving all those loyal owners to fend for themselves for parts, etc.
 

1hot281

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IMO, the day he sold the company to "tune" other cars, he essentially turned his back on the entire Saleen mustang community. Leaving all those loyal owners to fend for themselves for parts, etc.

He never "sold the company to tune other cars." and he certainly didn't turn his back on the Saleen community... actually, he stepped up for the Saleen customers when his former company turned their backs on the community.

Steve brought in outside investors around 2001 to get a fresh infusion of capital. Saleen's ongoing racing efforts, and the S7 supercar program, sapped the company of resources, and Hancock Park Associates purchased a major stake in the company.

Differences of opinion between Steve and the HPA board of directors led to his stepping down as CEO in 2003/2004... after which, Saleen Inc was restructured, dropping it's "Race-team" like hierarchy, and moved toward a corporate structure more in common with a full-on automotive OEM.

The years after Steve stepped down saw a huge ramp up in production numbers, and increased models across the Saleen lineup... Saleen Inc also purchased huge facilities in Michigan, and took on assembly responsibilities for the Ford GT for Ford, and picked up the contract from Dodge for painting the Viper in their new state-of-the-art showcar quality painting facilities... In 2006, when Ford ceased production of the GT Supercar, Saleen was left with a huge assembly facility in Michigan that it no longer needed.

In 2007, Steve left the company altogether.

HPA then proceeded to run the company into the dirt, work on the upcoming Saleen S7 successor; the S5S "Raptor," and all R&D ceased in late 2008, and HPA put Saleen Inc and it's assets up for sale.

HPA liquidated the company of many of it's assets. Laying off employees in California and Michigan... selling left over parts, and production equipment... squabbles with suppliers over debts and rights to designs and production led to the destruction of molds and tooling for certain parts and body panels, including the S7 design molds.

MJ Acquisitions purchased what was left of Saleen Inc, renamed the company to Saleen Performance Vehicles (SPV), and consolidated all operations to Troy, Michigan. When MJ Acquisitions purchased Saleen Inc from HPA, they also inherited a lot of debt and a couple lawsuits. MJ quickly announced they would not be honoring any warranties on previously sold Saleen vehicles.

In this time, Steve Saleen founded SMS Supercars. Not only to continue the legacy of Saleen cars, but also expand and include pony cars from other manufacturers... something that could never have been done with the close working ties between Saleen Inc and Ford.

Steve announced SMS would step up in SPV's place and pick up warranty claims for his loyal customers.

Among other SMS cars, based on the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro... SMS announced intentions to release the SMS 460. Based on the 2010 Mustang GT and utilizing new SMS S4 suspension, "SMS" branded Saleen superchargers, and new Phil Frank designed bodywork. (Phil also penned the lines for the SN95 Saleens, the Saleen S7, the new edge Saleens, and the S197 Saleens.)

SPV/MJ also announced they would produce cars. The 2010 Saleen 435S, and later the 2010 Saleen S281... utilizing leftover Saleen superchargers, carryover S197 Saleen suspension, and a new bodykit.

Steve, wanting to protect the legacy of Saleen, sued SPV/MJ for the rights to use of the "Saleen" name and logo. The lawsuit also involved, what Steve's lawyers deemed, the unlawful sale of Saleen Inc assets. HPA supposedly sold Saleen Inc to MJ Acquisitions for a price that was less than what Steve himself offered for the company. HPA supposedly refused to sell to Steve, essentially short changing the many creditors who HPA owned money to. Steve's legal team sought to have the sale of Saleen Inc by HPA reversed.

MJ Acquisitions then took a backseat, and RevStone Aftermarket took over SPV, announcing the 2011 Saleen S302 would be the final car produced by SPV under the name "Saleen." Saleen Performance Vehicles would be renamed RevStone Performance Vehicles, and would refocus the company on manufacturing and distribution of aftermarket performance parts.

This year, the lawsuits came to a close, and the Saleen name was returned to Steve Saleen... and is being reincorporated into the SMS Supercar family. Saleen/SMS announced they would relabel any previously sold SMS vehicles with "Saleen" decals and badging at no cost.
 
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thepizz

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You copied a press release from his PR people. While there are a lot of truths in it, it's also "sugar coated" to paint him in a good light. He wanted to expand to other vehicles and thought that whole SMS bullshit was a good idea. I believe greed and ego were also contributing factors.

Bottom line, I'll hold my breathe for a new set of center caps that the lady answering the phone these days, swears will be available soon. Until then, I will feel the way I do about it. The majority of Saleen owners (Fox, SN-95, NewEdge) need replacement parts not warranty coverage we don't qualify for.
 

1hot281

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You copied a press release from his PR people. While there are a lot of truths in it, it's also "sugar coated" to paint him in a good light. He wanted to expand to other vehicles and thought that whole SMS bullshit was a good idea. I believe greed and ego were also contributing factors.

Bottom line, I'll hold my breathe for a new set of center caps that the lady answering the phone these days, swears will be available soon. Until then, I will feel the way I do about it. The majority of Saleen owners (Fox, SN-95, NewEdge) need replacement parts not warranty coverage we don't qualify for.

Actually, I didn't. Most of that info was assembled from available info throughout the Saleen community... the Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club, and the Saleen Club of America... among a few other sources... I never take press releases at face value... from SMS or SPV... but many former employees of Saleen Inc and current empoyees of SMS and SPV, as well as Steve himself, Molly, Phil, and Jess Albright of MJ Acquisitions are active members of the community and have unique insight into the inner workings behind the troubled Saleen story.

The rights to the replacement parts for the older 84-04 cars was sold by HPA to MJ, who later gave much of the stock and responsibility to Stage3Motorsports, S281 Motorsports, and a couple other Tier-1 suppliers, who were in charge of order fulfillment. No one was producing any new replacement parts. SPV was simply selling the last of what parts were left when they bought Saleen Inc.

Now that SMS is once again in charge of the Saleen name... I believe they intend to support the older cars... but their first priority is obviously to get the new cars produced and sold... they can't keep the company afloat selling center caps and floor mats...
 

1hot281

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You are aware that SMS wasn't the first thing Steve did after leaving Saleen, right? He was part of two other companies before coming back to the world of performance cars... so, the argument that he left Saleen to tune other cars is invalid. If that was his intention, he would have founded SMS much sooner...

Steve wanted to get into the mass market, and was part of Chamco... who was supposed to import Chinese trucks and sell them in the US. Chamco failed, for quite a few reasons... one of which is the crash test standards of the Chinese trucks couldn't meet US standards... and another was that the Chinese vehicles were rolling copyright infringements... looking like carbon copies of preexisting vehicles...

PickupTruck.com - Cheap CHAMCO Chinese Pickup Available in US By 2009

He, and other former Saleen employees, were also involved in founding Techco... which helped design the supercharger that would eventually be used by SMS.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/25/former-saleen-employees-join-up-with-new-techco-aftermarket-comp/
 
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