Saleen

1980s

The Saleen brand was established in 1983 originally as Saleen Autosport by Steve Saleen, a former professional Formula Atlantic race car driver. The 1st Saleen was produced in 1984 when they built 3 cars as the first production run – a white hatchback, a copper glow hatchback, and a black hatchback.

In 1985, Steve Saleen put the first certified supercharger on a production Saleen Mustang. This car was delivered to Nault Ford in Manchester, NH and was the first use of a centrifugal supercharger on the late model Mustang.

In 1986, the Saleen made its entry into the Sport Car Club of America Race Series with a race prepped version of the Saleen Mustang. A notable win that year at the grueling 24 Hours of Mosport was the catalyst for Saleen vehicles becoming heavily involved in motorsport throughout the rest of the 1980s.

1990s

By 1990, in response to increased aftermarket parts demand, Saleen established Saleen Performance Parts as an independent operation.

In 1994, Saleen debuted the S351 which touted a Saleen built 351ci engine. Despite the Mustang GT changing to the modular V8 in 1996, Saleen continued with development of their own EPA-certified 351W engine.

In 1995, Steve Saleen teamed up with comedian Tim Allen and formed the Saleen-Allen “RRR” Speedlab race team.

In 1997, Saleen introduced a Saleen Contour concept and an SUV, the Saleen XP8 Explorer.

In the late 1990s, the company was restructured and became Saleen, Inc..

2000s

In 2000, Saleen introduced their flagship vehicle, the Saleen S7 supercar. The S7 is a mid-engine, high-performance sports car that was initially 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 was Saleen's only production car not based on an existing design or chassis.

In 2001, Saleen moved its production facilities to a new 100,000 square foot facility in Irvine, CA, USA.

In 2002, Saleen was awarded the assembly and paint contract for the new Ford supercar, the Ford GT. This effectively made Saleen a Tier 1 supplier to Ford Motor Company.

In 2003, Saleen set up a special manufacturing and licensing agreement for distribution of Saleen vehicles in Canada.

In 2004, Saleen expanded its operations and manufacturing to an additional 203,000 square foot facility in Troy, MI, USA. The new $15M production facility included a high-tech paint facility and assembly line where Saleen produced the Ford GT under contract from Ford Motor Company.

In 2005, global distribution was expanded to include Japan under a new partnership with a Tokyo based importer.

In 2006, Saleen opened its first own branded retail store in an outdoor shopping center in Southern California. The showroom was described as a unique shopping experience for Saleen vehicles, parts, and apparel.

In 2007, Saleen began working with Chrysler and supplied all the paint work for the new Dodge Viper.

2010s

In 2013, Saleen entered into a merger that resulted in Saleen being a publicly traded company. Later that year it was announced that the Saleen operations, manufacturing, R&D, and paint facilities would be consolidated to an expansive four acre campus in Southern California.

In 2014, Saleen entered into an agreement to expand vehicle distribution to include China. In August 2014, Saleen unveiled an all-electric performance model, the FOURSIXTEEN.

In 2016, There has been much talk among Saleen fans about the possibility of an all electric version of Saleen's signature car, the S7. There has been speculation that an electric version, being dubbed 'S7E', could possibly be under development utilizing drivetrain and electronics from the Tesla Model S platform. It has been noted that Saleen has previous experience with the Model S platform, in their modified version the Saleen GTX (Previously named the FOURSIXTEEN), which Saleen offers in their current product lineup.

Special Vehicles

These are special vehicles made by Saleen, that were either non-production models, concept vehicles, or non-serialized versions.

Saleen Performance Parts

The aftermarket parts department of the company markets car parts and accessories such as custom wheels, exhaust systems, brakes, and other high-performance parts.

Colorlab Automotive Paints

During the development of the Saleen SR in year 1995, Saleen formed a strategic partnership with BASF that resulted in the development of unique paint color formulations coupled with advertising centered around Saleen products. During this time, the Saleen paint color "Mystic" was formulated which gave the color a chameleoon-like effect. Shortly after, an updated color called "Rainbow" was released as an evolved version of the "Mystic" color which gave a more chameleon-like effect by displaying more color changes.

Since this time, the Saleen paint color Liztick Red Metallic, named for Steve's wife, Liz, was developed along with twelve more colors, including two named for Steve's daughter, Molly Saleen, Mollypop Pink and Chrome Molly. Other Saleen exclusive colors include Plum Insane Metallic, Burnout Black Pearl, Tire Smoke White Pearl, Sour Apple Green Metallic, Orange County Orange Metallic, Maliblue Metallic, Speedlab Yellow, Shark Skin Metallic, and Beryllium Copper Metallic, and California Sunset Metallic.

In 2014, Saleen signed and agreement that made BASF the exclusive paint supplier for Saleen.

Motorsport

Saleen's birth year of 1984 also marked the first year that a Saleen Mustang was entered into a race, when owner, Steve Saleen, introduced the first streetcar, the Saleen Mustang, and raced it at Sears Point Raceway, California.

In 1986, Saleen entered the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Endurance Series with a race prepared version of the Saleen Mustang, winning the grueling 24 Hours of Mosport, Canada with a sponsorship from General Tire.

1987 brought an SCCA Drivers' Championship to Saleen. The Saleen 3-car team with drivers Steve Saleen, Parnelli Jones, and George Follmer also captured the Team, Manufacturer, and Tire Championships, with sponsorship from General Tire. Saleen entered the SCCA Endurance Series with an all-female driving team including Desire Wilson and Lisa Cacares who obtained the team's 1st victory of the season at Sears Point, California. Saleen Autosport also entered a General Tire backed, Ford Ranger-based, Saleen Sportruck in the SCCA Race Truck Challenge, where they captured two wins.

In 1988, the Saleen race team finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at 24 Hours of Mosport for the third consecutive win and gives Ford its first 1-2-3 finish since LeMans in the late 1960s.

1989 was a busy year for the Saleen race team. They entered the PPG Indy Car World Series with a team backed by Montgomery Ward. Saleen Mustangs and Sportrucks also continued their winning campaigns in SCCA Competition with General Tire sponsorship.

In 1990, Saleen entered the SCCA Trans-Am series with a Saleen Mustang backed by General Tire.

Adding to their wins, in 1991 Saleen won the SCCA Race Truck championship with five victories in six races which moved Saleen into a tie for the most victories in the series (49) and the Manufacturers' Championship. Owner and driver, Steve Saleen, campaigned the Trans-Am series with Saleen Mustang with sponsorship from Champion Batteries.

Saleen returned to SCCA Endurance competition in 1993 with a supercharged Saleen in the World Challenge Series.

In 1995, Saleen formed the Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab with Tim Allen. The team of Steve Saleen, Tim Allen, and Bob Bondurant set new track records and won the final race of the SCCA World Challenge series.

For 1996, The Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab, with teammates Steve Saleen and Tim Allen won the SCCA Manufacturers’ Championship with the SR Widebody Saleen Mustang. Saleen also won at Watkins Glen International Raceway.

In 1997, Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time, marking the Mustang's first return in over 30 years. Saleen also clinched the SCCA Manufacturers’ Championship title for the third time.

1998 brought more wins for the Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab. The team won both the SCCA Manufacturers' and Drivers' Championship titles.

Come 1999, an ex-LeMans Saleen SR won the Spanish FIA GT championship.

In 2000, Saleen competed in the inaugural Grand American Road Racing season, Saleen captured the Drivers' Championship and clinched the Manufacturers' and Team Championships in the season finale at Watkins Glen International Raceway. Saleen customer cars participated in the Speedvision World Challenge—earning a victory at Lime Rock Park.

For the 2001 race season, the racing version of the S7, the Saleen S7R, was introduced. The S7R dominated racetracks during its inaugural season. Saleen S7R customer teams won four Drivers’ Championships in four different series (American LeMans, European LeMans, Grand Am, and Spanish GT). Teams driving the S7R achieved 19 wins out of 32 races including the 12 Hours of Sebring. The S7R grabbed 27 poles and set 27 fastest laps, at many tracks, including the prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans.

2002 brought more victories for the S7R. Customer teams continued to operate in four series (American LeMans, Grand Am, British GT, and Spanish GT) winning 18 out of 40 races, three Drivers’ Championships, and several more Team and Manufacturers' Championships. It also won 21 poles and set 23 fastest laps.

In 2004, while Europe watched, the Saleen S7R captured the 1st place win at Imola, Italy, beating home-track favorites Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, and the debuting Maserati MC-12.

In 2006 the Saleen/Oreca Race Team drove the S7 race version and captured the fastest lap and took the victory at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Saleen also began support of formula race teams in Europe. S7 racecars and spare parts were donated to the effort of trying to win on the European circuit.

OEM Development

Beginning in 2002 and at the request of Ford Motor Company, Saleen was highly instrumental in the design, development and assembly of the Ford GT.

Beginning with the 2007 model year, the Saleen-designed 450 hp (340 kW) supercharger kit in the F-150-based S331 was offered by Ford as a ship-through Ford-endorsed performance option on Harley Davidson Edition F150s.

At the 2007 New York International Auto Show, Chip Foose unveiled a Ford-endorsed limited edition F150, powered by the Saleen-designed powertrain used on the Saleen S331SC.