Saleen: The History of One of Ford’s Greatest Tuning Firms

For its 40th Anniversary, we look back at a company that’s earned legendary status among high-performance Ford enthusiasts: Saleen!

Automotive aficionados have associated the name Saleen with savage Fords since the days of the Fox Body. It’s a company built upon one centralized theme: take what’s good about Ford vehicles and make it better. An objective Saleen’s accomplished time and again, thanks to a plethora of experience on both the street and circuit. This basic but timeless philosophy spawned a wide number of specialized vehicles, most notably the Saleen Mustangs dating back to the mid-80s. However, Saleen also has a storied history of building high-performance Ford trucks, ranging from wildly obscure to utterly iconic.

True to its name, Saleen is a company built around the vision of one man: Steve Saleen. The layman’s gist of it is that Saleen vehicles represent Mr. Saleen’s vision of that model’s ideal. Think of it like realizing your “dream” version of a Mustang, or an F-150, or Raptor. Or, in fact, your vision of a bespoke supercar, in the case of the S7. There are a lot of common motifs present across each model, along with similar design goals. Namely: go fast, and look as good as possible while doing it. Such a singular vision can either make or break a company. But in Saleen’s case, it seems like the man’s done pretty well for himself. Let’s check out just how this little company from southern California became one of the premiere names in fast Fords!

The First Years of Saleen

Like most of us, Steve Saleen has an insatiable passion for cars. That passion carried him to the podium of a variety of sportscar racing series beginning in 1973, when he won his first race in a Shelby Mustang. Since then, Saleen’s competed in open-wheel cars, landing him in Indycar racing, plus plenty of sportscar racing in SCCA and beyond. And as a bonus, quite a bit of truck racing on top of all that. In short, Saleen led a prolific motorsport career, becoming a genuinely very experienced driver himself.

He started Saleen Autosport in 1983, sketching his design for what’d become his debut model: simply called the Saleen Mustang. He immediately began working on the initial production, completing his first car in 1984. It officially left its mark that same year at Mosport Park in Ontario, winning its class. He exhibited the Saleen Mustang across numerous series in both street and race trim throughout the mid-80s, with highlights such as the 1986 Sears Point 6 Hours and Seagram’s Cooler 24 Hours at Watkins Glen. The Foxbody proved itself a reliable platform, winning numerous endurance championships and giving Ford its first win in SCCA’s showroom-stock division. The Saleen Mustang’s career continued in a variety of domestic series, finally culminating in 1997 when Saleen’s team competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first time a Mustang’s driven on the circuit in anger in over 30 years.

Essentially, the earliest years of Saleen are best described as a racing driver constructing Fords under a partnership. And not just Mustangs, either. It took only four years before Saleen diversified to the truck market, debuting the incredibly elusive Saleen Ranger Sportruck. He only produced 24 for the street, as well as three race-prepped trucks. Naturally, all of which saw extensive track time and took wins of their own. Saleen also began experimenting with superchargers more, releasing the Saleen SSC in 1989 which boasted 300 horsepower. However, all Saleen Mustangs were about handling first and foremost, with the vast majority of upgrades prioritizing suspension and running gear.

The original Saleen Mustangs are essentially passion projects, with production numbers in the low-hundreds per year. But it proved popular enough to fuel the launch of Saleen Performance Parts in 1990. The liquid assets of this division, coupled with a market increase in aftermarket vehicles in general, propelled Saleen to the forefront of high-performance Fords. He continued competing in a prototype supercharged Saleen Mustang well into the early 90s, further building his company’s reputation.

The Saleen Mustang Series

The 1989 Saleen SSC prototyped the modern image we know and love, with the chevrons and the bold bodykits. But in terms of sheer recognition, few top Saleen’s numerous SN95 incarnations. The first of which debuted in 1994, the S351, named after its bespoke 351 CID engine. This car carried the torch from the Saleen Mustang, being more about balance and handling than outright power. Although the SR certainly had plenty of power, 480 horsepower to be exact. These early SN95s became the stereotypical “Saleen look” you think of when you picture one. A bold paint job with two chevrons, a tasteful body kit, 18-inch rims, and suspension modification. Saleen followed this up with the S281, making its first appearance in 1996. Which along with the S351, became the company’s most heavily-marketed models.

In general, Saleen Mustangs follow this trend of factory but enhanced performance. They typically release within a very short timeframe of their respective Mustang generation, and feature model codes based on engine displacement. Nowadays, the most well-known likely remains the S281 in its S197 Mustang guise, an absolutely iconic vehicle in its own right. Saleen followed up with the debut of the S302 as well, utilizing the 5.0L as a basis for producing anywhere from 390 to an eye-watering 620 horsepower. This became the definitive Saleen Mustang to this day, with the most powerful S197 being the SA-25, released in 2009 to celebrate Saleen’s 25th Anniversary. These days, however, feel free to order one with upwards of 800 horsepower.

The Trucks

Saleen’s first truck debuted all the way back in 1988, the 140-horsepower Ranger Sportruck. More or less, the truck was a 2.9L 5-speed Ranger with a bodykit and some suspension tuning. But it began a saga that led to some absolute icons. Saleen’s next foray didn’t come until 1997, with the second-gen Ford Explorer. Called the XP8, Saleen equipped it as either a two- or four-wheel drive beast. And they fitted it with a 5.0L V8 with an optional supercharger producing up to 281 horsepower. In 1998, a mistake by Ford led to the creation of the XP6, when they shipped Saleen V6-equipped Explorers mixed in with the V8s. These early trucks remain some of the most elusive Saleens, with the XP8s proving the most “popular” with around 125 units produced.

However, by far the most ubiquitous line of trucks remains their Sportruck series, starting in 2006 with the S331. Much like the Mustangs, Saleen focused on creating handling-oriented street trucks. This led to what amounts to an F-150 on steroids, nicknamed “Thunder” and featuring an optional supercharger. Each subsequent generation of F-150 likewise saw an iteration of a Saleen Sportruck.

These days, Sportrucks come in two flavors, still following that basic formula of balance and handling. There’s the F-150-based Sportruck itself, featuring Racecraft suspension as standard. And anywhere up to 775 horsepower out of the V8, which in technical terms makes the truck “pretty nippy.” Or you can opt for the Raptor-based Sportruck XR. Which features the same powertrain options but with a 2.5” lift and 35” tires. In short, it’s the spiritual successor to the old-school F-150 Lightning. Or a heavily beefed Raptor, depending on your style. Saleen has also worked with Broncos since 2020, proudly racing them across the deserts like the Baja Broncos of the 70s.

Power in the Hands of a Few

These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Saleen of any model that doesn’t turn heads. They were always distinctive, tastefully-built cars. Although some are acquired tastes like the Ranger Sportruck, in general, Steve Saleen’s vision didn’t have many detractors. And for good reason; the Mustangs and trucks alike all remain fast and capable machines. In many cases race-proven machines as well. Saleen as a company was founded on very specific principles: to build Fords but faster. In every way, not just through sheer brute force, either. Coupled with their unique looks and the many rare, eclectic models, Saleens became some of the most desirable Fords that money could buy for the past 40 years.

M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.