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Saleen plans to stop building vehicles by end of 2011
 
Bad news for all Saleen fans out there! Revstone Industries, the company that builds models for Saleen, has announced that by the end of 2011 they will no longer produce vehicles for Saleen. The main reason for their decision is "the confusion and controversy with Steve Saleen’s company, SMS Supercars." In an official letter sent to dealers, Saleen said: "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." "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." Plan to see the same type of American muscle, but under a different brand that has yet to be determined. Street Legal Saleen S7 Competition for Sale
We will continue our list of ultra-expensive Christmas gifts with a special vehicle: a street legal Saleen Competition S7 supercar available for sale for an impressive $499,000. When unveiled in 2000, the Saleen S7 was powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine with 550 HP. With the introduction of the Competition package, Saleen added a few updates, including 100 HP engine upgrades, a big Le Mans style race wing, winglets up front, and red/black 4pt harness seats. With the new updates, the car was capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and hitting a top speed of more than 200 mph. This was just a step closer to the impressive Twin-Turbo version that was capable of a top speed of 248 mph. The S7 on sale is the number 27 model, which was the first one offered with the competition package, and the first one that featured the red exterior paint. However crazy the $499,000 price tag may sound, at least it’s less expensive than the $1.17 million dollar sticker on the Zenvo ST1 supercar. Which one would you like to see in your garage on Christmas morning? TopSpeed’s 10 Fastest Production Cars
The holy grail of speed has always been the production car speed record. Car companies shoot for this record - if they can - in hopes that they can put their names in the history books. Some of them have succeeded and some have failed, but either way, these machines are fantastic. Most of the cars on the list are very expensive and only built in limited numbers. You would be hard pressed to find any one of the top ten machines on normal streets. Hell, you would be hard pressed to find these cars on local tracks. In order to get on the list, the car must be street legal, so no Formula One cars or land speed machines. The laws for getting on the list are also very tough, as there are no set rules. Nonetheless, the current fastest production car hit a speed of 267 miles per hour. Can you guess which car that was? Hit the jump to find out. Full story . More SMS Mustangs coming our way
There is another type of Mustang on the way. Welcome to the 2010 SMS 460 Mustang from Steve Saleen’s new company, SMS Supercars. There will only be 25 of these made because the company has already began to work on the new model, the SMS 302 based on the 2011 Mustang and its 5.0-liter V8. The SMS 460 will come with a supercharged V8 that will crank out 470 horsepower and around 460 pound-feet of torque. The car will get a tweaked suspension and a neat-looking body kit. Plus, with only 25 made, this car will be a collector’s item for years to come. The SMS 302 should be far better than the current 406 model. The base 302 should have around 450 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. That is far more powerful than the normal Mustang GT. There will also be a supercharged 302 that should be on par with the GT500 and its 550 horsepower. Then there is the less talked about SMS 351X, which will be the range topper of the SMS line. The company is shooting for around 665 horsepower and about the same amount of torque. That is well over 100 extra ponies than what we find in the crazy fast GT500. Let’s just hope they do something with the car’s suspension. 2010 Saleen S302
Saleen will unveil their first vehicle developed this year - the S302 - this week-end at the Carlisle Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA. The new Saleen S302 is based on the 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles. The S302 will feature an imposing grille and front fascia, and a refined treatment of the familiar Saleen extended rear fascia and trunk lid with a simple, elegant, integrated wing. The interior will get leather sport seats with Ultrasuede inserts and unique treatments of the gauges, steering wheel, center console and shifter. The V8 engine has been tweaked to deliver 425 hp and 395 lb.-ft. of torque. The whole package is finished by 20-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels. Press release after the jump. Full story Saleen S281 Convertible to be revealed on Sunday
After unveiling the S281 Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show, Saleen has announced that a convertible version will be revealed this coming Sunday at the 25th Annual Fabulous Fords Forever!, hosted at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The black S281 production convertible will be making its debut accompanied by a silver coupe and the powerful Saleen 435S. The Fabulous Fords show is one of the premier Ford events in the country and Saleen Performance Vehicles continues its tradition of interacting with the thousands of Ford enthusiasts who attend each year. The S281 will be powered by a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 485 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, connected to the rear wheels via a short-throw, five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 final drive ratio. Any Mustang lover will thoroughly enjoy this extravagant display of polished up ponies. If you are in the area or can get to the area, we would highly recommend attending this show. We hear there are about 2,000 entries expected to attend this event and will be sectioned off by generations as in the previous years. Last year, Shelby fans were thrilled to discover almost every Shelby model was in attendance. We could only imagine that this year will deliver the same excitement. More details this Sunday, stay tuned! Saleen 435S based on the Ford Mustang
The American tuning house known for pumping out high performance Fords has just unveiled the new Saleen 435S, based on the new 2010 Ford Mustang, it will be the first vehicle launched under the aftermarket automaker’s new ownership.  The Saleen 435S rides 1.5 inches lower to the ground than a stock Mustang GT and is powered by the same 4.6 Liter, 3 valve, SOHC V8 engine, with the addition of a Saleen Series VI twin screw supercharger and two stage intercooler to bring the intake charge down to a manageable temperature. The blower brings the car’s total output up to 435 HP and 425 lb-ft of torque. The exterior of the Saleen benefits from an understated blacked out trim panel between the taillights with “Saleen” written in raised lettering, a mesh cover for the fog lights in the grill and graphic elements placed low on each side of the vehicle. Saleen is offering the 435S with a set of 18 inch 5 spoke alloy wheels with 19 and 20 inch rims available as an option. Finishing off the Saleen Mustang transformation are the “435S” lettered on each side of the hood of the pony car’s power dome. Press release after the jump. Full story
2010 Steve Saleen Signature Series Mustangs
Steve Saleen can never keep his hands off of Mustangs, so its no surprise that he’s already announced plans for the 2010 Mustang. Then again, the engine modifications won’t be too hard because the mechanical bits of the new Mustang are just a carryover from the previous model. So the 4.6-liter V8 SMS has been working on may have already been in development for quite some time by now. The 2010 Signature Series SMS 460 Mustang will make between 475 to over 650 hp and go on sale in the second quarter of 2009. The biggest changes to watch out for on SMS car will be how they will handle aerodynamic upgrades to the 2010 ’Stang’s body. Press release after the jump. Full story
Saleen for sale
For the savvy investor, why buy a part of the near-bankrupt Ford when you can probably get an entire company that does better work with Ford’s engines. In a statement Friday, Saleen said it has hired an investment bank to explore selling the suburban Detroit company by early next year. But be cautions, the resources of Saleen Automotive may not be much. Founder and car guru, Steve Saleen, left the company in May 2007 to start a new company that works on more than just Fords (like the SMS 570X Challenger.) This may not be the best time to do a sale. While there is a lot of news about the big auto companies teetering on the edge of destruction, the little guys are absolutely feeling it too. Tight credit markets and the slump in auto sales have hurt specialty companies such as Saleen and ASC Inc. (who are now owned by the same parent company.) There’s no speculation yet on how much the company is going for, but hey, the owner will likely recoup some of that instantly considering that there must be a few $590,000 S7s lying around the factory somewhere.
SMS announced pricing on the 570 and 570X Challenger
Steve Saleen announced today pricing on the street legal SMS 570 Challenger and SMS 570X Challenger, models based on the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T platform. The MSRP’s for the 2009 SMS 570 Challenger and SMS 570X Challenger are targeted to start at $60,000 to $70,000 respectively with production commencing in 2008.  Both models will feature a SMS designed and engineered SMS 296 Supercharger bolted to a 5.7L Hemi, with power ratings from 500 to over 700 horsepower. Press release after the jump Full story
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