By: STEVE SPINKS on November 3, 2008
Original Article: GOLD COAST BULLETIN, THE
A touch of Hollywood will help ‘transform’ Parklands Showgrounds at the weekend for the 14th Street Torque spectacular.
A replica police patrol car from the 2007 box office smash movie Transformers will be on show as the official Nikon Indy 300 off-track event kickstarts a month of motoring.
The car is owned by Victorian Craig Dean, the Australian importer of Ford Mustangs.
He transformed a Mustang Saleen S281 Extreme into a replica of the bad Decepticon robot Barricade from the hit movie.
After racing the Saleen at the Targa Tasmania, Mr Dean lent the car to Street Torque event director Ian Badock.
“It’s a fuel-injected V8 with 411kw of power,” said Mr Badock. “It will be on display at Street Torque and will be at Indy as well.”
The replica will be one of hundreds of cars on show at the event, expected to draw 8000 people.
The event includes motocross, kart and Harley chopper displays and the toughest burnout cars ever to enter Street Torque.
The Stadium Drift Pro Show is expected to be the highlight event.
“The drift series gets the most unbelievable response and is very popular, especially with 15 to 18-year-olds,” said Mr Badock.
Another highlight will be a run by the Northern Territory’s Mad Ron in his jet truck.
If you ever wanted your own S302 Extreme but can’t quite pull off the 100gs it takes, you might get a chance to have a dream come true if you enter the Pizza Hut Midnight Club LA Instant Win and Sweepstakes at: http://pizzahut.eprize.net/mcla/index.tbapp?WT.mc_id=091808Rockstar_Wild_Card
Be sure you also check out the new Rockstar Games title featuring the S302 Extreme, Midnight Club Los Angeles, available at stores soon and at: http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubLA/
SALEEN CODENAME “WIDOW MAKER” UNVEILED AS 2009 “DARK HORSE”
Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, CA — September 24, 2008 — by SOEC/Saleen Forums News — Saleen CEO Chris Theodore officially presented its latest limited edition Mustang on the grounds of the fastes track in the west. “Dark Horse is the meanest, darkest and fastest Saleen yet,” said Theodore, who only last month took over the top position at the automaker and shifting gears from the job of chief technical officer.
2009 Saleen Dark Horse, CEO Chris Theodore
The Dark Horse powerplant is SAE-rated at 620 horsepower with 600 foot-pounds of torque, though it gets a little boost from Speedlab’s SuperShaker supplying exclusive styling while enhancing performance. “The vehicle takes advantage of the ram effect into the SuperShaker air box,” states Dan Agnew, Powertrain Engineering Manager, “It increases pressure in the air box, which adds boost by 0.5 psi and holds air charge temperature relatively constant even with the higher boost.” The Dark Horse powertrain also features a Saleen port-matched Series VI integrated screw-type supercharger, forged aluminum pistons, forged steel connecting rods, and orged steel crankshaft. While the SAE-certified horsepower rating does not necessarily reflect the full benefits of the SuperShaker, it does exhibit itself on the track with neck-wrenching acceleration.
The new Dark Horse combines the power and handling of the Saleen Extreme with Heritage body stylings. Its black body color, flat black exterior graphics, blacked-out trim and black chrome wheels make up the exterior. A Ford navigation system, sport leather seating with Alcantara inserts, and red anodized shift gate and leather-wrapped shifter are featured in the cockpit.
“The Dark Horse provides the capability of extreme horsepower and provides the detailed look our customers expect. By merging the SuperShaker with the Extreme powertrain we have created a no compromise solution for people looking for both performance and classic Mustang looks,” states Marc Musial, Chief Powertrain Engineer.
The Dark Horse’s suspension features everything you would expect from a Saleen, including a second generation Watts-link. The package is impressive, and provides sure-footedness around the tight road course of the Streets of Willow at high speeds, tight turns and aggressive braking. It is considered the most intense Saleen ride yet.
Originally code-named “WM” or the “Widow Maker,” the Dark Horse will be a limited edition of 25 coupes and begin production in November 2008. Pricing is to be announced, but should run in the $89,000-plus range.
SOEC, founded in 1991, is the premiere organization for Saleen owners and enthusiasts, with thousands of members worldwide.
IRVINE, CA — September 19, 2008 — SOEC/Saleen Forums News — Saleen’s 2009 lineup is getting a new limited edition Heritage-based “Dark Horse” model, and it’s promising to gallop its way to Southern California next week.
This new moniker will feature traditionally aggressive Saleen Heritage designs, including the new SuperShaker intake. Said to produce 620-horsepower and 600 pounds-feet of torque, the stout 302 should be able to breathe effortlessly with its shaker hood.
The Dark Horse will also feature unique interior stylings, and will be produced in a limited edition of only 25. Be sure to check back late next week for photos and details.
By: CHRISTOPHER A. SAWYER on September 2008
Original Article: AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN & PRODUCTION, VOL. 120 ISSUE 9, P18-19. 2P.
The CEO of ASC and Saleen sees this time of higher gas prices and tighter emissions regulations as the perfect opportunity for domestic automakers to grab the imagination of the next generation by increasing their reliance on niche manufacturers.
One of the last times that I saw Chris Theodore-the newly named CEO of American Specialty Cars (Southgate, MI; www.ascglobal.com) and Saleen, Inc. (Troy, MI; www.saleen.com)-was in 2003, before he retired from Ford. The setting was a media introduction of the 2005 Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle (now Taurus and Taurus X). Showing a fellow journalist the capacious rear compartment of Ford’s new premium sedan, Theodore exhibited remarkable restraint when said journalist blurted out: “Wow! This’ll make a great taxi cab!” But Theodore’s mind was on his next project-and, as it turned out, his last at Ford-the Ford GT, a car that never could be mistaken for a taxi cab. Though insiders say Theodore’s 2004 departure from Ford was driven by internal political intrigue, it’s a subject which he sidesteps easily. “I tried retirement for about 10 months,” he says, “did-and still do-some teaching at the University of Detroit, and played with my toys, but I’ve been a car nut since I was four. I couldn’t just sit still.” Offers from various suppliers were considered, but Theodore-an avowed “total car guy with a heavy emphasis on powertrains”-didn’t want to take a position just so he could keep his hand in. If he was to come out of retirement, it would take an opportunity that would give him a chance to express his creativity, something that working for a commodity supplier wouldn’t accomplish.
“The OEMs are going to be focused on meeting a set of fuel economy standards that probably will be relaxed when it’s too late,” he says. This is causing a major refocusing of cycle plans, and forcing automakers to redirect their performance efforts toward more mainstream concerns. “This creates a tremendous opportunity for us,” he says, especially with the next generation of car buyers. Describing car lust as “an anthropological thing that goes in cycles,” Theodore believes domestic automakers have an unequalled opportunity to connect with the Millennial generation as traditional youth-oriented brands like Honda have “aged with the people they attracted to their fold in the first place.” What will appeal to this new generation of buyers is uncertain, but developing products like the Sky Slider roof and going directly to the consumer for their reaction, he says, is both faster and less expensive than following an OEM’s normal approval process. It also is less risky as it is easier for a supplier to react to changes in demand or introduce new products based on customer feedback.
Despite the fact that the Saleen facility is a former AMT model factory-“We had all these tiny rubber tires coming down from the rafters when we remodeled the place!”-with the only low-volume paint facility in North America (the Dodge Viper’s body panels are painted there), an engine shop, a supercharger shop, and a fabrication and composites shop, the four-year-old that still lives inside the man still has dreams of building his own car-“No true car guy goes through his life without having that fantasy.”-a dream that is closer with his ascension to the CEO’s slot at both ASC and Saleen. Will it be the Saleen S5S Raptor, a mid-engined sports car in the mold of Ford’s GT, or something less predictable? “Before I left Ford,” he recounts, “I wanted to do a new version of the Mustang I concept car of the early 1960s.” His preliminary layouts showed a turbocharged version of the Escape Hybrid powertrain situated transversely behind the driver and passenger, and side-mounted radiators like the original. It was an ethical sports car, he says, and one in tune with the desires of younger buyers. “After all,” he intones, “no matter how ‘green’ anyone purports to be, they just want to have fun.”
IRVINE, CA — August 28, 2008 — Today, the specialty manufacturer announced the recent hiring of Mark Patrzik to its sales team. After having quietly announced the departure of CEO Paul Wilbur on August 15, Chris Theodore assumed Wilbur’s role, moving from Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer.
With Patrzik’s hiring, Saleen sales team veteran Tom Ryan has shifted gears to Vice President of International Development. Ryan’s first task was to head north to Canada to help expand the Saleen dealer network elsewhere in North America and abroad.
Other mangement changes include the responsibilities of Julie Zona, Saleen’s head of product planning, who will assume the role of Director of Marketing and Program Planning. Zona, a veteran of Chrysler’s marketing and product development teams, has been with Saleen for just under a year. Among her first projects was the 25th Anniversary Sterling Edition, on which she worked closely with McCammon.
