Modded Mustangs » saleen

Cannonball! The Ultimate Bad Boy Saleen

mdvaldosta — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 16:45:26 +0000

This summer, four hundred cars will begin a 2900 mile cross country ~~race~~ contest, originating from Miami, Atlanta, Washington DC and New York. Inspired by Erwin G. “Cannonball” Baker, who set 143 American distance records, including a 53½ hour coast to coast solo drive averaging over 50 mph in 1933, and brought back to life by Tim “Maverick” Porter in 2001 – drivers will attempt to average a speed of 61 mph over the entire route (obtainable without going over the speed limit).

The winner will take the World Title, the trophy, free entry in to the next event to defend their crown, and a 600 horsepower Saleen Mustang. With a top speed of over 200 mph and a 0-60 in under 4 seconds, these special edition Mustangs are hot - to say the least. There will be 25 copies made (11 already sold at press time), available only to those participating in the race.

Have an itch for (legal) speed? The Great American Run will scratch it for $10k. Registration and other information is available on their site. Cannonball!

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Models, News, Racing.

Maaco “Medusa” Mustang

mdvaldosta — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 02:29:32 +0000

When most people think of Maaco, a few words come to mind… accident, insurance, two-hundred dollar paint jobs, etc. Tony Martino, Maaco’s founder and CEO, wants to change that – and he’s off to a good start with their Medusa Mustang.

Beginning with a stock 2006 Mustang GT, Maaco solicited help from Bolt-Onz Luxury and Performance Specialties in Abington, Pennsylvania to handle the performance modifications. This slick ride lays down an impressive 550 horsepower delievered via a twin-screw style supercharger borrowed from the S281 Saleen. Power is delivered to the ground via a 6 speed manual transmission and chrome 20″ Saleen wheels.

Saleen stuff, in fact, is the trend here and Maaco takes it to the Extreme – with a full S281E body kit, brakes, even seats. A few custom touches were performed also, including gull-wing doors that close on the factory hinges. An air ride suspension helps to achieve the perfect ride height for showing off this beauty.

In the electronics department, the Medusa is fitted with everything from dual onboard computers running Windows XP with bluetooth technology powering the in visor keyboards. An in dash touch screen stereo with a navigation system tunes the digital sorround system and controls the air ride suspension. Keeping with the go-fast theme, the car even has high speed wireless internet.

When it’s all said and done though, it’s the paint that really makes this Modded Mustang stand out. The Medusa was sprayed with a medium-dark shade of DuPont’s color-shifting ChromaLusion paint – a paint that reveals different colors and shades when viewed from different angles. The base paint is complemented by a lighter ChromaLusion shade that comprises accent stripes along the sides of the car. The visual effect of the contrasting ChromaLusion shades is dramatic and provides tremendous visual depth to the ponycar’s appearance.

“When people see the Maaco Medusa, they will immediately understand the skill and attention to detail that went into the bodywork and paint work – and it will change their thinking about the capability of Maaco’s services” Martino says. ”This project was carried out by Maaco technicians who handle the dents and scrapes of everyday cars the paintwork on the Maaco Medusa represents the capability and experience fostered at Maaco shops across North America.”

For more information straight from the source – including photos, wallpaper, and the official press release – visit the Maaco website. The Medusa was made it’s debut in June 2006 at the All Ford Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and is expected to be shown at Maaco’s booth during this year’s SEMA show.

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Models, Reviews.

Saleen’s 10th Annual Open House

mdvaldosta — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 03:49:20 +0000

Ford tuner/supercar builder Saleen shut down a few Orange County streets and opened the doors to its headquarters for its 10th annual open house/car show.

Saleen (the company) let the Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club (SOEC) take over its manufacturing headquarters so that everyone could celebrate all things Saleen (the car). Though this car show was technically open to any and all cars, this event was pretty much dominated by all things Ford-powered and Saleen-tuned.

Though a few S7s and Saleen-tuned F150s were on hand, the car of the day was the Saleen Mustang. All generations of Saleen-tuned ‘Stangs were on hand, which is great for the Saleen Mustang fan, not-so-great for those looking for a bit of variety. Don’t get us wrong, we love Saleen Mustangs as much as the next certified gear-head. It just seems as if most of these cars are picked up by the type of guy that spends one too many hours watching the Barrett-Jackson auctions on TV and not-so-secretly hopes that his Saleen Mustang will be the next million-dollar car. Most of these Saleen Mustangs look as if they rarely come out of the garage, let alone see any sort of track time. Whatever happened to buying a race-ready car and taking it racing?Of course, we have to admit that it was a treat to see some very clean mid-80’s Saleen Mustangs. We loved these cars ever since we were kids, and finally seeing one in real-life was almost as cool as seeing an actual DeLorean. Yes, we are using this paragraph to admit that we seriously loved tuned American muscle back in the day, so perhaps you guys will give the “import bias”-thing a bit of a rest…

As we mentioned in the opening sentence, Saleen also opened the doors to its factory. It wasn’t “operating” at this time, but show-goers could still see how Saleen is able to turn ordinary factory Fords into high-performance Saleens.

While we had a great time at Saleen’s open house, we left wishing for more. Saleen’s Mustangs were well represented, but we only saw the one Saleen Focus and zero Saleen Contours. We know that Saleen has them – we saw them at the Los Angeles car show a few years back. Here’s hoping that Saleen will dig those cars out for next year’s show…

This article was originally written by IGN. Special thanks to Justin Kaehler for the scoop. The event took place on the 9th of September.

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Editorials, Models, News.

Saleen Opens Retail Store

mdvaldosta — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:30:32 +0000

Steve Saleen, world renowned for his modded Mustangs (over 8,000 of them at press time) and other mass produced vehicles, has opened the doors to the companies first retail outlet – The Saleen Store. The store sells an array of Saleen-branded stuff, as well as technical displays on the company’s 750-hp S7 supercar and their supercharged Saleen Mustang, and S7 racing simulators.

If that’s not enough, The Saleen Store has a Saleen N2O Bar. For people, menu items range from ice cream, water, soda, Red Bull and oxygen. For their cars, nitrous oxide and hydrogen are available. The store is sure to encompass a full-range, high-octane ambience for everyone.

According to their website, Saleen has created a unique shopping experience that will undoubtedly set a new standard in the automotive and the retail industry. The Saleen Store is so different that it has created a buzz, and that buzz has traveled almost as fast as the world’s fastest production car, the Saleen S7.

“Anything with the Saleen name attached to it has to exceed our uncompromising standards”. Founder & CEO of Saleen, Steve Saleen states, The Saleen Store is a total brand experience — whether it’s through our legendary vehicles, aftermarket performance parts or hot new apparel, we guarantee a unique shopping experience”.

“We have split our store in half, covering lifestyle and the technical performance side. On the lifestyle side, you’ll find a unique Saleen-branded performance automotive clothing line, posters and memorabilia. As for the technical side, we’ll have people and interactive displays that can answer practically any question one might have about automobile performance,” says Steve Saleen.

For car enthusiasts who have followed Steve Saleen and his Saleen Mustangs for over two decades it is not surprising that on one side of the store they are literally standing in the middle of a Saleen Extreme Mustang. Newcomers will see a vehicle dissected down the middle and will only emphasize the fact that The Saleen Store is truly one of a kind. There is an immediate realization that Saleen is passionate about its performance vehicles by exposing every detail of the Saleen Extreme, from the engine, drivetrain, to the suspension – viewers will see the technology that goes into the manufacturing an Extreme Saleen Mustang that produces 550 hp and 500 ft-lb. of torque.

The Saleen Store can help to arrange vehicle purchasing, financing, administering trade-in assessments, as well as provide buyers with genuine Saleen Speedlab Aftermarket Parts sales and installation. Guests considering purchasing a new Saleen will find it easy to do so with The Saleen Store’s zip-code-based referral service. This seamless referral service originates at The Saleen Store and concludes at the guest’s nearest Saleen Certified Dealership.

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under News.