Tag Archives: Saleen

PETE’S SSC ON 17″ SPEEDLINES

If you’ve been around the SOEC webforums, then you’ve come by Pete and his WTB ads for Saleen spec wheels.

*- http://saleenforums.soec.org/showthread.php?t=4031
*- http://saleenforums.soec.org/showthread.php?t=4302
*- http://saleenforums.soec.org/showthread.php?p=13174

Pete was one of the many SSC owner’s suffering from a cracked DP-5 wheel.

Cracked DP
Cracked DP

Question: What’s an owner to do?

Answer: Purchase two sets of Saleen 17″ Speedlines from differing ends of the country to assemble one spectacular set for the SSC.

17" Speedline
17″ Speedline

Below are photos of Pete’s SSC (that his dad purchased new) and the Speedlines he and his father-in-law restored. Super job!

Enjoy!

p.s. These images remind as to why the SSC is my most favorite Saleen.

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CAR OWNER AWARDED $525,000 AGAINST SALEEN INCORPORATED

The Law Offices of Gary Berkovich Announces California Court Reaffirms Importance of Consumer Protection Laws with One of State’s Largest Lemon Law Awards

IRVINE, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — On Friday, March 13, 2009, Orange County Superior Court handed down a landmark decision against Saleen Incorporated, an Irvine- and Detroit-based manufacturer of high performance vehicles and after market automotive accessories. The award of $525,000 is one of the state’s largest lemon law awards since the consumer protection law was passed in 1970.

“We are pleased that the court recognized the severity of the situation and we believe made an appropriate ruling.”

“Consumers have the right to expect that the items they purchase will be free from defects or will be fixed by the manufacturer, no matter if it is a television or the family car,” said Gary Berkovich, a Lemon Law specialist and attorney for the plaintiff. “This right and expectation becomes monumentally more important when you take into consideration that defects could be life-threatening if they occur in your vehicle.”

The case, Dan Echino v. Saleen Incorporated, concerns design and manufacturing defects by the manufacturer of a 2005 Saleen S7, twin turbo, which made the rare sports car un-drivable.

Co-counsel for the plaintiff, Steven A. Simons, added “We are pleased that the court recognized the severity of the situation and we believe made an appropriate ruling.”

Saleen Incorporated is a specialty car manufacturer that produces its own vehicles as well as custom parts for many Ford vehicles.

About the Law Offices of Gary Berkovich

The Law Offices of Gary Berkovich specializes in Lemon Law disputes and consumer warranty law. The Law Offices of Steven A. Simons specializes in Lemon Law disputes and consumer rights law. This team of legal experts is dedicated to defending the rights of the consumer. More information on Lemon Law is available at www.calemonlawinfo.com

Contacts:
Gary Kishner Consulting
Gary Kishner, (818) 618-8302

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SALEEN INC. PREPARES ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING ITS ABILITY TO HONOR WARRANTY CLAIMS

Breaking News: Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club/Saleen Forums News

March 4, 2009 — Irvine, California — Less than a month after the “sale of certain assets” by Saleen Inc. to MJ Acquisitions — a deal to which the details still remain unclear — Saleen Inc. prepares to announce that it is unable to honor any warranty claims on its vehicles and aftermarket parts.

Immediately following the sale, it seemed that it was “business as usual” for Saleen owners, since some were reportedly receiving support for warranty claims through dealers, as well as directly from employees of MJ Acquisitions, but that is no longer the case and they are now referring inquiries to Saleen Inc.

While production of vehicles had been stalled for some time, its aftermarket parts business under the Speedlab brand also picked up where it left off before the sale. MJ Acquisitions stated in the sale announcement that it was exploring its options for the 2010 model year Ford Mustang under the Racecraft brand initially, and to hopefully follow with the S Series.

Plans for the future of the Saleen branded vehicles are now more unclear, though MJ Acquisitions stated it will continue to produce service parts, performance accessories, and develop new products through its Speedlab department.

Saleen Inc., whose headquarters was moved from Irvine to Troy, Michigan last year, is still majority-owned by Hancock Park Associates, which also owns ASC Global. Following the sale of certain assets to MJ Acquisitions, the company stated it continued to seek a buyer for its sophisticated paint facility, the S7 supercar program, and the S5S Raptor concept program.

While Saleen Inc. CEO Chris Theodore stated in a press release regarding the sale, “This influx of new life into the Saleen, Racecraft and Speedlab brands is a win-win situation” and he continued to note that loyal Saleen customers, dealers and enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting transition period, he has now left the company.

Furthermore, various other assets, including the prototype Racecraft Focus RC2 are up for sale.

The Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club (SOEC) has confirmed that Saleen Inc. prepares to draft a formal communication regarding the company’s inability to honor warranty claims, and SOEC will report the details online at https://www.soec.org/news as soon as they are made available.

SOEC, founded in 1991, is the premiere organization for Saleen owners and enthusiasts, with thousands of members worldwide.

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SALEEN INCORPORATED FINDS BUYER FOR PART OF ASSETS

Breaking News: Exclusive

By SOEC/Saleen Forums News Staff, February 2, 2009

After announcing it was looking for a buyer in early November, Saleen Incorporated announced today that MJ Acquistions has acquired certain assets of America’s premier automotive lifestyle brand, relating to Saleen’s supercharger, aftermarket and high performance street vehicle businesses.

The transaction reportedly was finalized last Friday, which left all of the employees (including Saleen Inc. CEO Chris Theodore) with the legal formality of being without jobs — at least temporarily. Some hirebacks have already taken place as the transition progresses.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the purchase does not include the assets associated with the supercar (S7 or S5 Raptor vehicles) or the paint operations, which will remain with Saleen Incorporated.

The ownership of MJ Acquisitions controls a family of companies which provide full service engineering, design, manufacturing, assembly and control systems for the automotive industry. It’s affiliated companies include Cyltec, LLC, Power-Tec Engineering, LLC, Arrow Racing Engines, LLC, and Control-Tec, LLC.

“MJ Acquisitions and its affiliates are a group of true car professionals with vast experience in the engineering, production, assembly and distribution of performance and racing vehicles” said Theodore in a press release. “This influx of new life into the Saleen, RaceCraft and SpeedLab brands is a win-win situation.”

Theodore noted loyal Saleen customers, dealers and enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting transition period.

“We moved on this purchase quickly to ensure that the process of delivering high-quality automobiles and components to the consumers is not disrupted,” said Mike Shields, President and CEO of MJ Acquisitions. “We are working with the talented team from Saleen and our own experts to continue the quality, delivery, and performance the customer base and dealership network have come to expect from the Saleen brand. I am particularly excited about Saleen’s supercharger experience and its synergies with Power-Tec’s development of the next generation of superchargers.”

Immediate plans are to roll out the 2010 version of the newly designed Mustang for the Racecraft brand and commence other Racecraft designs for additional vehicles. The new Mustang is shipping from Ford later this month. Additionally, the Saleen brand will have a new design of the flagship S-Line that is already in the works and scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2009.

While this announcement may provide more questions than answers for some, Saleen owners should be assured that key warranty and sales staff are still at the company to serve dealers and owners, with more hirebacks likely coming in the days ahead.

MJ Acquistions does plan to work with the dealer network and others to establish the future product line. A company spokesperson told SOEC that more announcements will be forthcoming, so stay tuned.

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TEAM JDM BUILDS SuperShaker S302 PJ EDITION

From Jim D’Amore III and our friends at JDM Engineering:

A few days after i began posting about our first installation of the Saleen Supershaker system on a Parnelli Jones Mustang i got a call from a PJ faithful, Bruce Costa. His attention was caught when he saw what we were doing with our previous customers limited edition Saleen. Bruce had similar goals and knew we could achieve them for him too. So after a few phone calls and emails we arranged to pick up his PJ for him in Rhode Island and have it delivered here to be Supercharged!

Well the PJ showed up yesterday safe and sound delivered by our driver, same day he picked it up from Bruce. We offloaded it in the rain but brought it inside where we wiped it down for a few quick “Before” pictures.

Bruce’s PJ is #39 and already has a list of upgrades performed. He is packing 360 RWHP at the tires utilizing a custom tune, C&L cold air kit, and Long Tube headers. We are going to remove the air induction system but still maintain his exhaust. NOTE: The Factory PJ underdrive pulleys will be removed and a stock Ford water pump and balancer pulley set will be installed. Along with the Supershaker upgrade he is getting 39# injectors for more fueling and colder Autolite HTO spark plugs which we will gap to .030″ for Bruce. With the stock 3.875 supercharger pulley (7 psi boost) installed we are expecting to easily make 450+ HP at the tires. However we will be limited to approximately 450 with out upgrading to a twin fuel pump system.

Here are a few quick pictures of Bruce’s car “before” ill be keeping everyone informed of his transformation to a Super PJ as soon as we begin work on it!! I think we plan to start tomorrow so get ready for it Bruce!

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MERCEDES-BENZ FINED $28.9 MILLION FOR VIOLATING FUEL EFFICIENCY RULES

By: KEN THOMAS on January 6, 2009
Original Article: CANADIAN PRESS, THE

WASHINGTON – Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. division paid a US$28.9 million fine in December for violating federal fuel efficiency requirements, the U.S. government said Tuesday.

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC paid the fine for imported passenger cars from the 2007 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents released to The Associated Press.

NHTSA assessed more than $37 million in fines from six automakers in 2008, records show. Many manufacturers of luxury vehicles consider the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, fines as the cost of doing business.

The fines were established to ensure that vehicles meet basic gas mileage standards.

Volkswagen of America Inc. paid NHTSA $4.5 million in fines in August for light truck violations. Porsche Cars North America and Maserati Automobiles of America both paid $1.2 million while Ferrari North America paid $1.1 million.

Saleen Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based manufacturer of specialty high-performance cars, paid more than $41,000 for violations involving 2003-2006 model year vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz fine was the second-largest ever assessed by NHTSA for CAFE violations. The former DaimlerChrysler AG paid a record $30.3 million fine in 2007 for imported passenger cars from the 2006 model year. Most of the imported vehicles from that year were Mercedes-Benz luxury cars.

Messages were left with Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen officials after business hours.

91-0012SC: DOIN’ WHAT THEY DO BEST

Pretty cool!

Along with dirt track racing, multiple Budlong built engines run at drag strips throughout the Southwest. One particular engine, a Ford 5.0L engine was stroked to 331 cubic inches of displacement. This turbocharged engine, living in the Ford Mustang of Anthony D.ckson, created nearly 1,600 horsepower and ran 7.96 at 183 miles per hour!

budlongmotorsports.com

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