Built as a design and show vehicle for comedian Tim Allen. The Saleen Windstar RRR features enhanced exterior, interior, suspension, braking and drivetrain. A few notable bits are: Carbon fiber interior & exterior accents, large caliper brake kit, supercharged V6 and a complete exterior restyle.
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Mr. Black, Mr. White, and Mr. Blonde discuss the future of Saleen, Inc post Steve Saleen. What happened? Who is in charge? How did the ASC merger come to be?
They examine new ASC/Saleen product, review the recent Dan Gurney Edition, Sky-Vu Open Air System concept, Ford GT and the SuperShaker induction release during the Woodward Dream Cruise Open House in Troy, MI.
Click on this link to visit openroadpodcast.com and listen to the PodCast
[Source: Open Road Podcast]
By: RICHARD TRUETT on November 10, 2008
Original Article: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, VOL. 83 ISSUE 6333
Dateline: DETROIT —
Specialty car builder Saleen Automotive, which built the mighty GT for Ford Motor Co. and created dozens of high-performance classic Mustangs, is for sate. In a statement Friday, Saleen said it has hired an investment bank to explore selling the suburban Detroit company by early next year.
But a sale could be tough. Tight credit markets and the slump in auto sales have hurt specialty companies such as Saleen and ASC Inc. Further complicating matters is that one of Saleen’s biggest sources of revenue, the Dodge Viper sports car, has been put up for sale by its owner, Chrysler LLC. Company founder Steve Saleen quit in May 2007.
IRVINE, CA — November 7, 2008 — SOEC/Saleen Forums News — Automotive News reported today that specialty car builder Saleen Automotive is seeking a buyer. The company has experienced trying times in an industry segment that has seen slow sales due to high gas prices and tougher financing.
“The [HPA] board has set a tentative timetable to receive preliminary indications of interest from prospective parties over the next two months and plans on finalizing a transaction in early 2009,” reports Automotive News.
Saleen Automotive has suffered from internal struggles in recent years. While founder Steve Saleen and other partners continue to own a substantial interest in the company, controlling interest was sold to investment group Hancock Park Associates in 2004 as part of the cash infusion needed to expand facilities for the Ford GT program. There was a surprisingly high turnover of their own CEOs who were brought from within the firm, but from outside the industry. Reportedly heads butted over the years, and eventually Steve Saleen left the company in May of 2007 with several key engineers. The three Saleen children, Clint, Sean and Molly, left just a few months later. Saleen’s wife Liz left the company in 2006.
Saleen Automotive’s CEO Paul Wilbur left in August of 2008, followed shortly by its General Manager Marques McCammon — both from ASC — and both ended up in a green car company in San Diego County. September saw additional departures of upper management as well as throughout the ranks as vehicle production stalled.
The sale of the company may be a tough order in these challenging times, as auto sales in general are slowed as financing is tight. Paint and partial assembly of the Dodge Viper are done at Saleen Automotive, but the uncertain future of that program complicates matters as Chrysler LLC considers selling that Dodge brand.
Saleen Automotive had been operated in California for nearly 25 years, but all production had been moved to Michigan in 2007.
VISTA, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Marques McCammon, former Saleen executive has joined new vehicle start-up Aptera as Chief Marketing Officer. He replaces branding consultant Tony Kirton, who will continue as a consultant supporting McCammon’s marketing team.
McCammon, 32, boasts an automotive resume that includes the creation of the Dodge SRT-4 and the initial blueprint for Chrysler’s SRT moniker; design of the first modern 4-door convertible, the ASC Helios; and providing product and brand leadership as the former General Manager of Saleen. While at ASC, McCammon was honored by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of 40 young executives making an impact on business in the Motor City.
“Aptera is focused on introducing the world to efficiency as a core attribute of transportation design,” says Aptera co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Steve Fambro. “Marques’s automotive experience, business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit will blend perfectly with our corporate mandate to build the world’s most energy efficient vehicles.”
Aptera, located in Vista, California, recently opened its second facility in the north San Diego suburbs, where the company will ultimately roll-out its first production vehicle, the all-electric Aptera 2e. The two-seat 2e, slated for full production in 2009, offers consumers fuel efficiency levels that are the equivalent of up to 300 miles per gallon.
“I’m excited to join the team and take on the task of developing Aptera into a brand that consumers can look to for quality, safety and efficiency,” says McCammon.
During the first week in his new position, McCammon, along with Aptera President and CEO Paul Wilbur, selected PCGCampbell as the company’s new public relations and communications agency.
“PCGCampbell provides a wealth of experience from inside and outside the transportation sector,” said Wilbur. “This combination makes them the ideal partner for Aptera, where we similarly merge the experience of the automotive industry with the creativity of California’s high-tech industries. With Marques’s leadership and the support of teams like PCGCampbell, Aptera is sure to make a significant impact on the transportation industry.”
“Anyone who’s ever seen the 2e realizes Aptera is all about innovation and re-imagining traditional automotive design,” says Shane Smith, managing partner, PCGCampbell, whose clients include EcoMotors International, Yokohama Tire Company, Enova Systems, Volvo North America and Heal the Bay. “When you combine Aptera’s unique aerodynamics and superior energy economy, you’re offering consumers a remarkable new driving experience. We’re thrilled to be a part of such an important, revolutionary project.”
About Aptera
Aptera Motors (http://www.aptera.com), founded in 2004 to develop and build the safest, most energy efficient commuter vehicles on the road, begins volume production of its first vehicle, the all-electric 2e, in 2009. Utilizing streamlined aerodynamic design, lightweight composite structures and unique drive systems, Aptera delivers vehicles that are attainable and efficient. The company operates two facilities in northern San Diego, California, where it designs, engineers and manufactures the vehicles and their composite systems to create an exceptionally strong, sleek body.
SOURCE: Aptera Motors
Private Label Program for Mustang High Performance iPodTM Integration
Grand Rapids, MI – Brandmotion, innovator of vehicle-specific OEM Integration solutions for Ford and other vehicle brands, has partnered with Saleen to provide a private label program for Mustang high-performance iPod OEM Integration.
“These products are exactly what our customers are asking for,” said Saleen President Marques McCammon. “Today’s consumer expects to be able to integrate their personal electronics and their vehicle. The performance and craftsmanship expectations of our owners are even higher, demanding seamless integration to both the vehicle and to the Saleen lifestyle. Our iPod integration solution had to perform to Saleen standards. Brandmotion is an aftermarket company with OEM roots and they were able to provide that”.
In 2008, Saleen Inc. celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary as a specialty vehicle manufacturer. With roots in racing, its vehicles go well beyond the expected, providing a unique style and unmatched power to car enthusiasts and dreamers alike. Vehicles include the new Racecraft 420S, H281 SC Gurney Edition, S281 and S302 Supercharged vehicles, and the S302 Extreme.
“Brandmotion is proud to have been selected as a partner developing OEM Integration solutions with Saleen Inc. This project was challenging and fun and we are delighted to be able to provide a high quality connection between two real icons – the iPod, and the Saleen Mustang, said Jeff Varick, President of Brandmotion.
For more information contact Brandmotion at 877-276-6456 or visit us on the web at www.brandmotion.com.
Brandmotion is located at 3400 Innovation Court SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, and provides over 30 different integration solutions for over 20 different OEM vehicles, both as private label solutions and as consumer products available under its own brand through leading distributors nationwide.
iPod is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
By: MARK VAUGHN on October 13, 2008
Original Article: AUTOWEEK, VOL. 58, ISSUE 41
Yet Another Limited-Edition Mustang
Despite numerous executive departures from Saleen in the last month or two, the company is still making new products. This one could be the last special-edition Mustang… until the reskinned, reengineered 2010 Mustang debuts at the Los Angeles auto show in November with a corral full of them.
The Saleen Dark Horse Extreme Edition follows on the heels-or is it the hooves?-of the Sterling Edition and Gurney Signature Edition Mustangs from Saleen. The Dark Horse offers the same impressive supercharged 620 hp as the Sterling, but comes wrapped in its own sinister black exterior. Under the SuperShaker hood scoop is a 302-cubic-inch Ford V8 with Saleen port-matched Series VI integrated screw-type supercharger, forged-aluminum pistons, forged-steel connecting rods and a forged-steel crank. The hood scoop supposedly delivers 0.5 psi of boost all by itself.
Saleen will make only 25 Dark Horses, as many as five of which will be convertibles. Sticker price is $89,995. They go into production in November, with sales starting that same month.
If you don’t have $90,000 of disposable income, consider Saleen’s Racecraft division. A Racecraft 420S offers 420 hp and a few other amenities for “just” $38,000.
Even more affordable will be the coming Racecraft Focus, expected shortly after the new production Ford Focus debuts in 2010. The Racecraft version will come in a normally aspirated version with handling and cosmetic improvements for $20,199, while the turbocharged version will offer “between 200 hp and 250 hp” for between $23,000 and $24,000. Production plans call for 50 to 75 a month, all of them 50-states legal.
By: DAN EMERY on October 5, 2008
Original Article: SUNDAY TIMES, THE
Car makers are working with game designers to preview future models, writes
Dan Emery
Car manufacturers have long seen driving video games as little more than a source of revenue. While they beg Hollywood to use their vehicles in blockbuster films – and in some cases pay millions of dollars for the privilege – when it comes to gaming it’s the other way around: games companies must pay royalties for any car featured – as much as Pounds 1 for every game sold.
However, that relationship could be changing: a street-racing game, Midnight Club Los Angeles, is set to break new ground when it is released this month by being the first to feature close collaboration with top marques such as Lamborghini, Dodge, Chevrolet and Saleen, the US car customiser.
Not only have the car makers waived their demand for a fee, but they have also offered players a glimpse of what cars could look like well before they officially launch. The companies are even exploring the possibility of incorporating gamers’ feedback into real-life designs.
Midnight Club – which challenges players to race around the streets of LA, winning cash prizes that can be used to “pimp” their cars or buy new ones – features more than 40 vehicles. Two of these – a Dodge Challenger SRT8 and a Chevy Camaro – were still concepts when work started on the game, and are not due on the forecourt until next year, meaning that players of the game will be the first members of the public to test-drive them, albeit in a virtual environment.
Lamborghini, which prides itself on cloaking new models in secrecy, has supplied data for its Miura, Gallardo Spyder and Murcielago models. “Video games are part of our brand expansion programme,” says Maria Lucia Lazzarini, licensing manager at Lamborghini.
“In the old days, children used to play with diecast toys, today they also play video games. There’s a real satisfaction for us in knowing that our cars are the most desired by the games industry, that people dream about owning or driving a Lamborghini.”
Cars have featured in video games since the 1980s, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that players began getting realistic representations of cars that were for sale. Games makers would use CAD (computer aided design) files detailing the entire vehicle – although they also relied on pictures of the car photographed from many different angles. Next, all the extras were added, from sound effects (created by hanging microphones in the exhaust and interior) through to fine detailing such as the wheel rims, hubs and internal trim. Small wonder that it costs between Pounds 10,000 and Pounds 15,000 to make each in-game car.
This process reaches new heights of realism in Midnight Club Los Angeles, the fourth game in the series, which puts you in numerous races and challenges in central LA.
Not only do the in-game vehicles look the part, but their handling is equally realistic, says Mark Garone, the game’s lead producer.
“The software at the heart of Midnight Club turns the game into a full-blown simulation. Each vehicle has a full set of test data – pitch, roll, 0-60mph times, tyres, you name it. Sometimes we get that data direct from the manufacturers; for older cars we have to comb automotive magazines, websites or the library,” he says.
It’s not just the cars that are realistic; players can customise their chosen ride with real-world accessories such as nitrous oxide injection systems and Wings West carbon-fibre kits.
The game’s driving challenges are varied, from basic point-to-point races through to time trials and circuit races. Competing in these races nets you cash and reputation points. The gameplay is slick and polished, seamlessly switching between general driving and racing.
The designers take some liberties. “Although we try and keep it realistic as much as we can,” says Garone, “we do start tweaking when the performance impinges on the fun. In Midnight Club, you can drive up to 240mph round the streets. Try that in real life and you’ll die.”
Marques McCammon, general manager of Saleen, is impressed with the game and says “the cars just feel right”. He’s also enthusiastic about the idea of using a game to test a prototype design, as Lamborghini is.
For this to happen, however, a new system would have to be put in place to gauge players’ reactions – at present it involves manufacturers trawling through fan-boy bulletin boards and specialist websites.
Midnight Club Los Angeles is out for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 24, price Pounds 44.99.
BUILDING A VIRTUAL RACE CAR
During the early stages of a game’s design, artists rough out the required cars and their accessories. Then computer-aided design (CAD) files supplied by manufacturers add the fine details of the real-life cars – in the case of this Ford Mustang minus the spoiler imagined by the game designer
The CAD wireframes provide a skeleton over which the game designers can add a ‘solid’, three-dimensional skin. After weeks of detailed, highly accurate work costing up to Pounds 15,000, the completed version of the in-game car is ready to be raced by gamers.
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/
Enter by November 10, 2008!
Good luck!
This came from Carlos Duran and his fellow teammates at Techco — a great group of old Saleen alumni and dedicated Saleen owners and enthusiasts! Please give them a warm welcome!
A Quick, Customized and Innovative Approach to the Automotive Aftermarket
Anaheim, California (September 22, 2008) – TECHCO, “The Technology Company” formally announces its plans to fill the niche of providing truly innovative products for the Automotive Aftermarket.
TECHCO has reassembled many of the members of the former team that helped design, develop, test and certify the Saleen S7, Saleen S281 Mustangs, Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang and Saleen S331 Sport Trucks. As collaborators and former employees of the famed automotive company, Saleen, Inc., TECHCO’s Staff has the talent and vision to bring decades of experience into the automotive aftermarket industry by the design, development and manufacturing of ultra-high performance automotive parts and accessories. “We’ve assembled a great team from the world of specialty vehicle performance, design and manufacturing. With our skills and resources, there’s no limit to what we can provide to our customers,” stated Jimmy Moore, Director of Operations for TECHCO.
TECHCO’s vision is to supply to its customers ultra-high performance automotive parts and accessories and offer complete Engineering, Manufacturing, and full Vehicle Assembly services. TECHCO has invested heavily in engineering and manufacturing equipment to provide unmatched in-house capabilities to develop and produce truly innovative and high quality products for the Aftermarket, while maintaining low costs and reduced lead times. The expansive 150,000 sq.ft. facility combines state-of-the art engineering and manufacturing capabilities and resources with our hands on assembly experience. In-house resources include Engine and Chassis Dynamometers, CNC Machine Shop, CMM Lab, Fabrication Shop, SLS Prototyping, CAD/CAE workstations, R&D Lab, Component Subassembly Shop, Vehicle Workshop, Customer Install Shop, and Race Team with Workshop. These extensive in-house resources ensure TECHCO’s technical excellence and market competitiveness in the Automotive Industry. “Our spacious facility allows us room to house all our engineering and manufacturing equipment in one place, resulting in fast-time-to-market and the highest quality products that still deliver exceptional value to our customers,” stated Moore.
The TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger(TM) is TECHCO’s flagship new product, will completely revolutionize supercharger design. “Our Design of the (TECHCO) Twin Screw Supercharger, is not merely further innovation in supercharging, but is truly a revolutionary advancement on Supercharger Design and application. We’ve taken all of our expertise in supercharger design and created a new product that provides superior power and performance on all levels,” says John Spruill, Vice President of Engineering for TECHCO.
“We designed innovation into every aspect of the new (TECHCO) Supercharger, from the new patent-pending A-Frame (Dual) Intercooler configuration with Extruded Aluminum 6061-T6 Housing, to the all new 3.0L Reverse Rotation Screws with 6061-T6 Rotor Housing with fully integrated Bypass System, and Long, High Flow Runners. It’s like nothing else on the market today,” says Billy Tally, Chief Technical Officer for TECHCO.
Nuts and Bolts of The TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger(TM)
What makes the TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger so revolutionary is the unique design (Patent Pending), which optimizes airflow efficiency throughout. Incoming air is fed into the front of the supercharger, not the back like conventional designs. This ensures that the incoming air has minimal turns, eliminating restrictions, before entering into the supercharger housing. Additionally, without the need for a complex inlet tube, the largest possible orifice size is maintained, maximizing air flow efficiencies. The air then flows into the lobes of the Reverse-Revolution asymmetric multi-lobe compressor screws, where it is compressed, not merely moved, as in other forms of supercharging. The compressed air then flows into the intercooler housing which houses (2) intercoolers mounted in an A-Frame configuration to ensure the airflow is evenly distributed to each runner bank. The Patent Pending Twin Intercooler design results in higher cooling capacity and greater thermal efficiencies as the cooling water only has to pass through the intercoolers once, keeping the charge air cool. A further benefit of the front Inlet Design is the additional package space above the supercharger that is used for long high flow Intake Runners, which increases low end torque.
The resulting design of The TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger allows air to move through the supercharger quickly and efficiently, without significant heat buildup, and at the highest resulting airflow volume at low boost output. The performance result is maximized horsepower and torque output.
Key Features of The TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger(TM)
Applications
TECHCO is now taking orders for The TECHCO Reverse-Revolution Twin Screw Supercharger(TM) kit for October Deliveries. Call Techco directly at (714) 408-9550 to speak with one of their Sales specialists.
Note: Saleen S7, Saleen S281 Mustang, Saleen S331 Sport Truck, and Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang, Saleen and Saleen, Inc. are registered trademarks of Saleen, Inc. TECHCO has no affiliation with Saleen, Inc.
