Saleen

Saleen was founded in 1983, and remains today as the last small vehicle manufacturer in the United States to have its status as an OEM company intact, and is markedly not a “tuner” company, and is subject to all the same laws and guidelines as any of the big manufacturing firms. Saleen modifies existing vehicles and sells them, and has so far breached the 8,000 car mark.

Many of their vehicles sell for as much as 400,000 USD, twice the value of a modest home in the United States. Saleen currently has its own manufacturing plant for its parts and has its flagship car, the Saleen S7, is NOT based on the Ford Mustang, but is of their own design and manufacture. The engine of this vehicle is an amazingly spacious 7 liters and is naturally aspirated V8, with a horse rating of 550. Along with this one a short lived model was the S-7 TT, which was updated and the predecessor of the S7, having a price of just 580k USD. These have been discontinued as of 2006.

Currently the lineup of Saleen supercars are the S281 3V, a 2008 model year vehicle that is naturally aspirated with three valves, and has a horsepower rating of 360 with several variants. The variants of the S281 are the S281 SC, with its massively supercharged engine that delivers 465 horses, and the S281 SR, a fully glass roof. They’re all extreme modifications of the Ford Mustang. Along with the S281 there is the S302, and its variants.

The S302 is a 620 horse monster of a car is the next generation that will be replacing the S281, and its variants include the S302 E has the Saleen Series 4 Super Charger that gives it that power rating of 620, whilst the H302 has just 390 horses, and the H302 SC, with its own supercharger at a handsome 580 horse rating. The last vehicle in current production is the S331SC, a supercharged Ford F-150 based monster of a truck, but not a monster truck, that delivers an amazing 450 horses and is available in supercab and crew variants.