All posts by Greg Wackett

Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club co-founder. Operates the Saleen Locating Service. Saleen historian and memorabilia collector.
Press Release

CHICANE OFFERS BIG DISCOUNTS ON SALEEN SUPERCHARGERS

Chicane Sport Tuning of Torrance, CA has kicked off the 2006 season by stepping up its commitment to stocking and installing Saleen Mustang Performance Parts. This translates into Chicane Sport Tuning being the primary source for Saleen Performance Parts such as the highly touted Series VI Integrated TwinScrew supercharger.

This commitment means significant increases to on hand inventory of Saleen Performance Parts, allowing Chicane to further its commitment to customers by offering with “best of breed” mustang performance parts and unparralleled service.

To celebrate this acheivement, Chicane Sport Tuning is now offering the Saleen Series VI Integrated TwinScrew Supercharger as part of it’s “Deep Discount” pricing program. To learn more, please visit http://www.chicanesport.com or call (310) 782-0063. Mention this press release for special “Deep Discount” pricing consideration.

Automotive News

TRADE NAMES: PERFORMANCE AUTOSPORT

By: JULIAN BENBOW on October 31, 2005
Original Article: RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH (VA)

Oct. 31–Mark LaMaskin was 30 years old when he decided to leave the family business.

He went from more than five years of stable employment in his parents’ material handling equipment business to being an unemployed newlywed hanging onto the hope of turning his passion into his profession. Not to mention he and his wife had just moved into a new home, so that profession had to be at least marginally profitable.

“There was just a little bit of pressure,” LaMaskin said, reflecting on it all.

The large, one-room warehouse, the spray-painted office like Les Nessman’s on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” the 12-hour days, and six-day weeks are all easier to think about while sitting in a leather office chair checking e-mail from across the globe.

Everything from automobile advice to interview requests come through Performance Autosport in Rockville, because when people want to find out about Saleen Mustangs they know to go to LaMaskin.

“I just found my forte and it’s pretty cool,” LaMaskin said. “I’m kind of known as the Mustang or the Saleen guy and that’s pretty cool. It’s all pretty surreal to me. It’s kind of neat.”

He had been looking for a while after all.

He was never the cool kid, he says, never the jock. He was just the kid who would read the car magazines his dad brought home for him.

He pored over them, amazing considering the dyslexia LaMaskin battled throughout his school days.

The magazines satisfied his need to learn what made machines work. It was one of the few times he’d used reading to help him learn.

LaMaskin said he almost never cracked open a book in college. Instead he went to class every day with open ears and notebooks to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

“I wasn’t a straight-A student,” he said. “But I graduated.”

With the degree behind him, LaMaskin had something he could take into job interviews to show he was more than capable. But he said he didn’t need a piece of paper to tell him that.

“I think you are either a business person or you’re not a business person,” said LaMaskin, who has run Performance Autosport since 1998. “You either have the skills and you’re either an entrepreneur or you’re not. I don’t think there’s really any in-between.

“Just because you have a business degree doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good business person. A lot of the most successful people I know don’t have a degree in business. Business is in your blood and dealing with people is in your blood.”

LaMaskin can’t remember a day when he wasn’t working. He had his own car-detailing business in college. And while some of his buddies bolted for Cancun or Daytona for spring break, LaMaskin washed, buffed and shined about a hundred cars during the week.

“I could make $2,000 in that week and that would pay for my entertainment for the rest of the year, and none of the guys understood how I always had money,” LaMaskin said. “Well that’s because I worked my butt off.”

He hustled even in high school, working as a field representative for L&L Limited in North Carolina, running ads in papers, meeting with possible buyers and putting them in touch with the exotic car trader.

“I’ve always had a job,” he said. “I’ve never been the kid that goes to camp for the summer.”

What LaMaskin calls a natural work ethic is what allowed him to do things he never thought he would.

The 16-year-old kid with the “piece of crap” Monte Carlo is the man who has lifted the “scissor” doors of a Lamborghini Countach and tested all 400-plus horses.

More important, the spray-painted office now has walls, and the garage at Performance Autosport can fit some three dozen Saleens. (Saleen Mustangs are named for former race driver Steve Saleen, who in 1983 began Saleen Inc., a company that customizes Ford’s pony car for appearance and performance).

The business isn’t always profitable, LaMaskin said, but it rewards in other ways. “One month it’s great, the next month it’s down, the next month it’s great,” he said. “Our business is a fun business and it’s about being addicted to automobiles.”

The borders of addiction and expertise meet at LaMaskin’s shop on Plaza Drive, where customers come to ask about carburetors verses electronic fuel injection and authors such as Brad Bowling, an authority on Mustangs, come to pick up the history and chronology of the specially souped-up Saleens.

“We get a lot of notoriety,” said LaMaskin. “The business has definitely developed in the last seven years.”

Along with buying and selling cars, LaMaskin hired employees Don Rositch and Kevin Adolf as Performance Autosport moves into performance parts and tuning.

But even with the success, LaMaskin can’t help but think about what square one was like and why those 12-hour days and six-day weeks are still important.

“If you’re not there to watch what you created, it can crumble as fast as it was created,” LaMaskin said.

“Whatever you put in you’ll get back out and if you stop putting in and you don’t have a good foundation for something then it can go down as fast as it was built up.”

Trade Names is a regular feature about established Richmond-area businesses.

Editorial

ROAR OF THE SUPERCARS

By: JEREMY CLARKSON on October 23, 2005
Original Article: SUNDAY TIMES, THE

As well as a parade of glamorous supercars, visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of some less well known beasts. The British-built TVR Tuscan Convertible is rumoured to be launching at the show as well as other exotica from marques rarely seen on the roads in this country. Chief among them is the awesome Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, left. With 750bhp and a 0-60mph time of 2.8sec, it is arguably the only American machine that can truly be called a supercar and will fire up its engines for the first time in Britain during the show. One of the few machines able to compete with it in the noise stakes is the road version of the 641bhp Gumpert Apollo -also driven for the first time at the show.

Automotive News

$150,000 CAR ON DISPLAY

By: RONALD LEDERMAN JR. on August 31, 2005
Original Article: LIMA NEWS, THE (OH)

Aug. 31–LIMA — The sleek white car with blue racing stripes might not be one of a kind, but it is as close as most local car shoppers are likely to see.

Mike Pruitt Ford took delivery last week of a 2005 Ford GT. The high-performance two-seater is the reintroduction of a car the company dominated endurance racing with in the late 1960s, including a first-, second- and third-place sweep at the 24 Hours at Le Mans race in 1966.

Mike Pruitt Ford is the only dealer in Northwest Ohio with a Ford GT, General Sales Manager Ryan Swaney said. Ford will make only 3,000 of the GTs between the 2005 and 2006 model years. The Ford GT in the Pruitt showroom is No. 1,630.

Combine the scarcity of the car with its performance, and you get a car with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $156,945. Cars with similar performance capabilities sell for between $400,000 and $500,000, Swaney said. The names on those cars are Porsche, Ferrari and Saleen.

Swaney said he expects the car to sell by the weekend. By Tuesday, the dealership had heard from a potential buyer as far away as Cincinnati.

“We’ve had a lot of inquiries,” Swaney said. “We’re just now getting onto eBay, which is where most of them are sold.” Thirteen Ford GTs were listed Tuesday evening on eBay, with asking prices ranging from $160,000 to $190,000.

The Ford GT is a driver’s car: The 5.4-liter, 32-valve V8 puts out 550 horsepower and 500 pounds of torque. The GT goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. In a quarter mile, it gets up to 127 mph.

“The car just goes,” Swaney said. “The torque is what makes the car get up and go. Horsepower is good, but torque makes it do it now.” The Ford Mustang GT, by comparison, puts out 300 horsepower and 315 pounds of torque.

Lifestyle

ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN

By: BEN CUBBY and JORDAN BAKER on August 26, 2005
Original Article: SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, THE

Barrister Wayne Baffsky usually arrives at court in style. His pride and joy is a black 1999 supercharged Mustang Saleen convertible, which carries the number plate 556A (a reference to a section of the Crimes Act which means that even though you have been found guilty, no conviction is recorded).

The wheels have certainly impressed the crowd at Glebe Coroner’s Court, where an inquest is under way into the alleged arsonist Max Gibson’s death by a “hot shot” of heroin. Baffsky is representing the Vincent clan, led by underworld figure Tony Vincent snr.

But yesterday his Mustang was nowhere to be seen. He told the coroner it was at the repair shop. While the car had been sitting in the court car park the day before, someone had scraped one side and driven two nails into a tyre on the other. “I put it on record,” Baffsky told Spike. “It may have been an accident.”

If you can’t beat ’em

Firebrand Murrandoo Yanner is going mainstream. The outspoken Aboriginal activist was this week elected to Burke Shire Council in north-west Queensland. It’s an organisation he has locked horns with for years.

Councillor Yanner will attend meetings, cut ribbons and second motions but, if his past is anything to go by, he won’t be able to keep a lid on things for long. When Palm Island erupted in riots last year, he said: “Bloody good on ya, one for us.” In 1997, he was convicted of three assaults outside the Burketown Pub and in 2003 was jailed for punching a Townsville nightclub manager into a pot plant. He is also inclined towards hyperbole.

Of his tribal initiation, he has said: “I lost my foreskin. They made it into a saddlebag for an elephant.” One of his biggest victories over Burke Shire came when he stopped construction work related to the Pasminco Century mine. The gig went to the neighbouring shire, and some locals are still bitter, though others seem to have forgiven him.

Local publican Peter Upton says there are two Murrandoos: the public loudmouth and the private gentleman, who is “well-spoken, intelligent and thinks things through”.

What shape, what style

Bulldogs bad boy Willie Mason was revealed as something of an artist last year, when his doodlings of a rabbit, a flower and some maniacal-looking faces were published in the Herald.

This week he was flexing his artistic muscles again. He was spotted at the launch of Sydney Art ’05, an art fair otherwise known as the Affordable Arts Show in less snobbish cities. The launch on Wednesday night was hosted by fellow sportsman Ian Thorpe, who had regular manbag Lee Furlong in tow.

Spike’s spy heard Mason giving a running commentary on the work in an apparent attempt to impress the attractive young woman by his side. At one stage, while gazing at a photo of a schoolgirl in her bedroom, he helpfully pointed out the Britney Spears poster on the young lady’s wall. Move over Robert Hughes.

What lies beneath

Yawning has become a political act in Queensland. The pineapple state’s Opposition Leader, Lawrence Springborg, has been chastised for yawning in Parliament as the Small Business Minister, Chris Cummins, was preparing to answer a question, AAP reported yesterday. The Speaker, Tony McGrady, said Springborg had been expressing his weariness all morning, and told him to get a good night’s sleep. Springborg countered by saying his yawns constituted a protest against the Labor Government’s rhetoric.

Springers has long been dogged by claims he is too bland to beat the flamboyant Premier, Peter Beattie. “I note that some people said I was too much of a Mr Nice Guy in asking questions to the Premier,” he told reporters shortly after he was elected in 2003. “So today I will come in here [to Parliament] and course my brow and clench my fists. Is that tough enough?”

Keeping it real

A Dutch television company will further push the limits of good taste and common sense with a new reality show called “I want your child … and nothing else!”

Backed by John de Mol, the man who created the Big Brother TV concept, the show features a woman choosing between candidates for a sperm donor to conceive a child. She will then be artificially inseminated, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s own version of reality television has got off the ground in Baghdad. About 2000 hopefuls have auditioned for Iraq Star, the local equivalent of Australian Idol. For security reasons, the final will be held in Beirut, and there is no studio audience. As the BBC points out, aspirants have often braved bullets and bombs just to reach the studio, only to have their egos badly bruised when they are bluntly told to go home and practise more often. On the bright side, they don’t have to have anything to do with Kyle Sandilands.

In union is strength

Labor MP Reba Meagher was the picture of wedded bliss last night as she ventured onto the social scene with her new husband, Tim Gleason, in tow. The pair eloped to Las Vegas to get married last month, and Meagher’s mother Jackie ended up watching the Vegas chapel ceremony from Western Australia via an internet link-up. Unfortunately Bob Carr’s resignation meant Meagher had to cut the honeymoon short so she could get back to Sydney and join the ALP caucus vote for a new premier. Gleason, Bob Carr’s former press secretary, is still looking for work. Last night the pair were spotted attending rising Sydney foodie Ross Dobson’s Chinatown book launch in Surry Hills.

Editorial

IT’S SEX ON REVS

By: JAMES FOXALL on July 31, 2005
Original Article: NEWS OF THE WORLD

Fast Lane

At last the Americans have Saleen the light-they’ve built a supercar with its engine BEHIND the driver.

This latest version of the awesome Saleen S7 is the most powerful American motor in the world. With explosive performance it uses sheer brute force to see off far pricier Italian motors such the Ferrari Enzo, Pagani Zonda and Maserati MC12.

The front and rear of the body have been redesigned to cut air resistance by 40 per cent and increase downforce by 60 per cent. The suspension has also been reworked to incorporate a second set of springs.

The brakes are some of the most powerful on a production car anywhere in the world-and have to be. The Saleen has 100bhp more power than the Enzo and packs 170bhp more than the biggest Lamborghini.

Product Review

FOCUS GETS POWER AND HANDLING IT NEEDS

By: GRAEME FLETCHER on May 20, 2005
Original Article: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (MB)

New models given a few nips and tucks

TREMBLANT, Que. — After its launch for the 2000 model year, the Ford Focus might have been more aptly named the Ford Recall — it went through so many it boggles the mind. That was then, this is now. Not only has its quality been improved — J.D. Power & Associates now ranks the lineup as “above average” and on par with the well-respected Honda Civic — it has the power and handling it cried out for from the beginning.

As before, there are three- and five-door hatchbacks, a four-door sedan and a wagon.

Rather than being a full-on model change, the 2005 Focus underwent some nips and tucks — the upcoming 2006 models, available in August, follow this lead, adding a new in-dash, CD/MP3 player and, taking a page out of Mazda’s book, a ground-effects package (the GFX pack). This adds front and rear air dams, rocker extensions and a rear spoiler. It will be standard on the ’06 Focus ST — offered in sedan guise and capped at five per cent of production, which is done to protect the company’s corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rating — and optional on all other models.

The good news is that Saleen, a highly respected manufacturer/tuner, offers an over-the-top kit for the three-door ZX3 — the Saleen N2O Focus. Along with the cosmetic add-ons — a body kit that adds far more aggressive front and rear fascias, rocker extensions, fender flares and a large spoiler — come some worthwhile functional upgrades.

The N2O on view at Mont-Tremblant was also equipped with Sony’s Xplod sound system (and an extremely gaudy set of decals). This audio package, which includes a video game, is insanely loud (1,400 watts of output power tend to do that) and occupies most of the trunk.

Lift the hatch and the amplifiers look like one half of a V6 engine — yes, that big. Crank the sucker up and the speakers make the entire car shake: Just make sure you have earplugs in place first.

To understand the significance of the work done to the Saleen, it helps to know how much Ford has improved the ST.

For example, the ST shares its front struts and multi-link rear suspension with the other models, but the tuning is 50 per cent stiffer thanks to the use of the European Focus’s ST170 shocks and springs, and it rides on larger 205/50R16 tires.

As a result, when flogged around Tremblant’s challenging race track, the ST responds to input surprisingly well. Certainly it understeers, and there is some body roll, but neither gets to the point where the driver starts to pucker up.

Likewise, the steering is both communicative and precise, pointing the car into a turn with poise — all of which means the ST is more than up to chasing its competition around a fast corner.

The N2O Focus adds a cross-car brace under the hood, ups the spring and damping rates by a further 30 per cent, firms the anti-roll bars and fits massive 215/45ZR17 rubber to attractive alloy wheels.

The result is a car that rides flatter than gravy on a plate without beating up the passengers on a rough road. Sadly, a track session was not in the cards, as that Sony sound system added the equivalent of two linebackers to the back end of the car, hardly the best way to ensure nimble road manners.

A choice of two upgraded engines power the Focus. The base 2.0-litre engine gets a much-needed hike in horsepower (24 per cent) from a pedestrian 110 to a usable 136.

At the same time, the Duratec 20 drops tailpipe emissions by a whopping 50 per cent, while marginally improving fuel economy, which is the automotive equivalent of the Triple Crown.

The ST uses the Duratec 23 — a 151-hp, 2.3L four. It is essentially the same engine used in the uplevel Mazda3 and Mazda6, thus bringing instant credibility and even better performance. The 153 pound-feet of torque on tap hauls the 1,214-kilogram ST off the line with more authority and on to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds.

The Saleen Focus takes a slightly different route to performance — a modified air intake and exhaust system adds 18 hp to the base 2.0L, its 154 hp giving it more grunt than the 2.3L engine. It also punches out 150 lb-ft of torque through a taller 3.82:1 final drive, which makes it feel even livelier.

There is, however, a gripe with both the ST and the N2O — they are 20 or more horsepower and one gear shy of the key competition.

The Corolla XRS has 170 hp, the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V 175 and both drive their front wheels through six-speed manual gearboxes. To counter this, Ford is actively looking at performance improvements — both turbocharged and supercharged engines have been built and are being tested. Stay tuned.

Once the poor relation in the compact segment, the reworked Focus is now a well-conceived and executed set of wheels.

It may not outdo the competition, but it is more than a match. Prices range from $16,695 for the base to $24,045 for the ST. As for the Saleen N2O kit, it adds $9,000 to the ZX3’s $17,555 retail price.

Given my druthers, I would take the functional aspects and forget the cosmetic stuff. This would deliver a car as affordable as it is capable.

–CanWest News Service

Specifications
Focus STS
Engine: 2.3L DOHC four-cylinder
Power: 151 hp, 154 lb-ft of torque
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Price as tested: $24,045

Focus N20
Engine: 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder
Power: 154 hp, 150 lb-ft of torque
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Price as tested: $26,555 (est.)

Product Review

TOPLESS WONDER

By: KELLY TAYLOR on May 20, 2005
Original Article: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (MB)

New Mustang droptop as impressive as the coupe

The problem with second chances is that they often show you got it wrong the first time around.

When I first drove the 2005 Ford Mustang — the new one — I was impressed at how well the latest generation of pony cars handled despite its yestertech solid rear axle.

Then when I took it on the track at last year’s Canadian Car and Truck of the Year TestFest, where cars are put through an exacting four-day test program and where the Mustang emerged as Canadian Car of the Year, I was further amazed. Solid axles aren’t supposed to work this well.

So when I stepped into the Mustang this week at Le Circuit de Mont Tremblant racetrack northwest of Montreal, I was expecting to find the problems I missed the first time around.

And while I was able to pick a few nits after driving a convertible back to Montreal, I still couldn’t find any reasonable complaints to make about the Mustang and its surprisingly good handling.

I tried. I went around the circuit for at least 15 laps, including three others with Champ Car racing star Alex Tagliani at the wheel, but it proved itself once again as the best sports car bargain on the market today.

You can toss it through corners with near-reckless aplomb. You can try to force its hand by running it over the apex curbs.

As with any car, you can get it out of shape. A grass fire in the driver’s rear wheel after a 445-horsepower Saleen Mustang got loose and found turf proved that. But you really have to be trying to be an idiot for that to happen.

“I want to know how close to the fence you were,” Tagliani said as graciously as possible to the driver who lost it just ahead of Tagliani.

“I was going too fast,” said the driver sheepishly. Hardly the car’s fault.

But even in non-Saleen form, the Mustang acquitted itself very well on the track. Considering you can get in to a Mustang GT for just a hair over $32,000, that’s quite an accomplishment.

While we had seat time in a coupe, the real purpose was to highlight the convertible, which went on sale this spring.

Considering the few visible changes to the body shape from the coupe, the convertible was surprisingly stiff, thanks to an extra 70 kilograms of high-strength steel in strategic locations around the chassis and an extra brace under the hood.

While it wasn’t as stiff as, say, a BMW Z4, the convertible displayed excellent handling overall, navigating the race track as adeptly as the coupe. Wind noise, at highway speed with the top down, was more than manageable, with fellow auto scribe Harry Pegg and I able to carry on a conversation as easily as in a hardtop.

There was some cowl shake on the worst bumps, and Quebec roads are notorious for their condition, but it was certainly not objectionable. Especially considering the price: $27,995 for a V6 base price and $36,795 for the GT.

The bump to the GT gets you a delightfully throaty, powerful V8, delivering 300 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. The V6 acquits itself nicely at 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque.

The nits I found to pick had nothing to do with its handling, power or overall performance. Sure, the five-speed gearbox takes a bit of getting used to before third gear engages smoothly, but there’s little else to complain about performance wise.

Complaints instead are generally minor, with one exception: driving a convertible back from Mont Tremblant to Montreal showed the aluminum brightwork across the dash kicks up waaaay too much glare under sunny skies than is tolerable for the passenger, where the aluminum is most expansive, but also for the driver. The flat black is a much better choice.

Some of the finish work is a tad crude: the box housing the overhead lights seems plunked unharmoniously on the headliner, with crude-looking but good-feeling switches for the lights.

The only trunk release other than on the trunk lid itself is on the key fob, which means you have to fumble for the fob if you need to open the trunk but don’t want to take the keys out of the ignition.

Admittedly, minor, but no objective report on the Mustang could exclude them.

Overall the Mustang, in coupe or convertible form, remains a head-turner.

New for 2006 is a Pony Package, which brings to the V6 version the fog lights of the V8, upgraded suspension and some brightwork inside (fine for the coupes, see above), and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Also out now is the Saleen Mustang, which includes a number of upgrades, starting with a new grille, new front fascia, new rear fascia, new exhaust system and upgraded shifter knob. For even more dough, Saleen will bolt on an intercooled supercharger, bringing horsepower up to 445 horsepower as well as a healthy increase in torque.

An upgraded suspension — but still not independent rear — makes the car handle better but also makes it less forgiving to less-skilled hands. Saleen takes the cars from Ford and does their work before selling them, with warranty, to the public. Saleen Canada is working to line up a dealer in Winnipeg — as part of an existing Ford store — soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

Our trip to Mont Tremblant was also intended to highlight the improvements to the 2005 Focus. And while I was quite impressed with its handling on the track, two of the Focuses were retired. One died, another was losing power, a malady corrected quickly with the scan tool. The problems on the one that died weren’t diagnosed. After lunch, no more Focuses were allowed on the track.

Granted, track time stresses a car much more than street driving, especially when piloted by journalists of varying skill levels.

But while driving the Focus on the street, it proved itself as one of the leading cars in the economy segment. It handles great, it’s comfortable to drive and it comes with the Canadian winter package, which adds heated seats and heated mirrors as well as traction control. Good value on those cold, slippery January days.

Aside from some cosmetic changes, which include stiffening for crash safety and a new interior that replaces the odd-looking creation in the original, the Focus remains on the same platform as before.

Look for the next Focus to ride on a revised version of the wonderful Mazda3 platform.

Lifestyle

MUSTANG MUSTER OF EXOTIC HORSEPOWER

By: NEIL DOWLING on March 06, 2005
Original Article: SUNDAY TIMES, THE (PERTH)

More than 100 Mustangs are on the loose in South Perth. Neil Dowling lassos three before the muster.

Was there anything before the Mustang?

Did any car create so much passion, look so good, get driven by wild men taming longhaired chicks, win so many races and live on forever in films like Bullitt?

Probably. But you can’t doubt this is an inspirational car.

Today, at Sir James Mitchell Park, on Mill Point Rd, South Perth, a rare bit of the US comes to town.

The Mustang Round-up and State Concours expects to show 105 Mustangs in various degrees of affliction and affection, from youngsters to oldies, coupes to convertibles.

Three cars seen here are examples of what’s on show.

The newest is a 1998 Saleen convertible, the only one of its kind in Australia; a rare V6 LX 1984 convertible; and finally, the first Mustang convertible to reach Australia that was shown at the 1965 Melbourne Motor Show.

The owner of the LX, US-born retiree Brenda Martin, says her 1984 burgundy convertible is her absolute fun car.

It is pristine, partially because it is a low-mileage example and also because Brenda pampers it.

“Oh, no,” she said. “The roof doesn’t go up. It can go up, but I’m a show-off. I keep the hood down and don’t drive it in the rain.”

“That’s what this car is for. It’s a fun car.”

Brenda’s convertible doesn’t have a lot of outings. Originally from South Carolina, Brenda is retired and has the time to cruise.

But she has another car for big trips, winter, night time and when security is an issue.

She bought the car in 1991 from a US entertainer she met in Perth.

The V6 hasn’t got a lot of power, certainly not in the league of the more famous V8 Mustangs, but she prefers it that way.

“I drive slow, so people can see me. Isn’t that what a convertible is made for?” she winks.

The 1984 version was similar to the 1983 series. Brenda’s has an 84kW 3.8-litre V6 attached to an automatic gearbox. The hood is electrically operated.

At that time, Ford even offered a Mustang with a 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine for buyers who wanted the look without much else.

The 1984 Mustang was mostly a carry-over from 1983, but there were some changes, including the 153kW high-output 5-litre V8 and a fuel-injected V8 with a four-speed automatic gearbox.

Joyce Allen has the first Mustang convertible to land in Australia.

It was the showcar at the 1965 Melbourne Motor Show that year and has since traveled across the country. Its colour has also changed from a blue-grey to a bright metallic blue.

She has owned the car for 28 years, having received it as a present from a friend.

It is the only car she has owned, and the only one she wants to own.

Unlike Brenda, Joyce drives the car each day. It is due for a bit of a touch up. There are a few spots of rust and the white leather upholstery needs restitching in places. It’s also on its second coat of paint.

Ford was shocked by the success of the 1965 Mustang, selling an unprecedented 559,451 cars that year, of which 73,112 were convertibles.

In 1965, one model year after the first Mustang, Ford introduced the 2-plus-2 fastback and offered a GT pack and power disc front brakes as options.

It also deleted the unpopular 260 V8 and offered the 289 (4.7-litre) V8 in three guises: the 157kW model as owned by Joyce, a 164kW version and a 202kW high-performance model.

A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the four-speed manual option. The 202kW V8 was the exception — it arrived with only the four-speed box. The other option was a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission.

The third Mustang here is Harry Martin’s Saleen.

This rare 4.6-litre convertible is more likely to be seen at charity events than on the road.

Today’s Mustang show sees it on show, again, raising awareness and helping to raise funds for the Special Air Service’s Resources Trust that helps the wives and dependents of soldiers killed or injured in active service or training.

The raffle, to be run by SAS member Helen Doyle pictured with Harry’s Saleen, has as its prize a Saleen hamper full of rare merchandise from the US company.

Press Release

SALEEN ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

With Redefined Vision, Mission and Operating Objectives,
Saleen Is Revved Up and Supercharging Into the Future

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 18, 2004 – For Saleen, Inc. the past year has been one of achievement, challenges and change, including the successful launch of the Ford GT at Saleen Specialty Vehicles in Troy, Michigan, and the implementation of structural changes,
which have improved operating effectiveness throughout the company.

The coming months will be equally challenging as the company prepares to launch the 2005 N20 Focus, S281 and S7 in Irvine and ramp up production of the GT in Troy.

With Saleen’s vision, mission and operating objectives freshly redefined, Steve Saleen announced the following management team appointments, which become effective
immediately:

Richard Rinke will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer, responsible for leadership of Saleen’s operations in Troy, Michigan, and Irvine, California. Saleen’s Irvine
operation will continue to serve as corporate headquarters.

For the past two years, Rinke has worked to establish Saleen Troy and guide the organization toward the launch and production of the Ford GT. In his new role, he will divide time between Troy and Irvine, working closely with members of the management team to implement the vision and mission and will lead efforts to transfer knowledge and practices, which have proven successful at Troy. The goal is to achieve a high level of competence in the way we operate at both locations. Rinke will report to Steve Saleen.

Joe Tori, who for the past 7 months has served as General Manager of Saleen’s Irvine operation, will assume the position of General Manager of Saleen Troy. In this expanded role, Tori will be responsible for leading operations initiatives as well as managing the company’s commercial relationship with Ford. In the near term, the company will leverage Tori’s planning experience to document and communicate the tasks and deliverables necessary for success in 2005. Tori will move to Detroit and report to Rinke.

Brian Walsh, who joined the company in May and has been involved in operations initiatives, will replace Tori as General Manager of Saleen’s Irvine operations. Walsh brings an impressive background in finance, operations and general management and will be responsible for management of all operations in Irvine, with the exception of Sales, Marketing and Finance. Walsh will also report to Rinke.

Keith Pollan will assume the role of Corporate Controller, reporting to Steve Saleen and interacting heavily with Rinke. Dave Anderson, Troy’s Controller, will report to Pollan.

With these appointments, the company is positioned to perform on its Saleenbranded and OEM product initiatives, while leveraging the capabilities of both operations and the strengths of each member of the management team.

About Saleen
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced nearly 9,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has equipped more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide with Saleen products to improve a vehicle’s ability to stop, go, slice-through-the-wind and turn—both corners and heads.

An eight-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen’s corporate facilities include research, design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Saleen has also opened new manufacturing facilities in Troy, Michigan and in Canada. The company’s line of products and services includes the Saleen S281, S281 Supercharged and S281-E, the Saleen S7 supercar, Saleen N2O Focus, Saleen Competition, Saleen Performance Parts, and Saleen Engineering and Certification Service. Contact Saleen at 949-597-4900 or for more information about Saleen – its people and products – visit the web site at www.Saleen.com.