First Impression: Saleen Mustang

Steve Saleen has been tuning Ford Mustangs since 1984. Saleen-tuned fifth-generation Mustangs come in three categories, the S281 Mustang, the 435S Mustang, and the S302 Mustang. The S281 is the most powerful version of the Saleen Mustang.

Several Saleen Mustangs were on display at the 2011 Houston Auto Show and are frequent guests at Houston Cars and Coffee events. The Saleen Mustang is a tuned Mustang. The Saleen Mustang has a small badge on each side. It will also have SALEEN on the windshield. It has a different front end, side skirt, grill, end caps, rear diffuser, front and rear fascias, and hood. All these exterior changes makes the Saleen Mustang look more aggresive than the standard Ford Mustang.

The Saleen S281 is powered by a supercharged 281 cubic inch, 4.6L V8 engine, paired with a five-speed manual transmission, that produces 485 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. The S281 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 150 mph. The S281 costs $51,934. The S281 is not as powerful as the Shelby GT500 or the Roush 427R. It is not as fast as the GT500 or the 427R, yet it is the only one of the three Mustang variants to cost over $50,000.

The Saleen S281 is the vehicle mode for Decepticon Barricade. It is playable in Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, Test Drive Unlimited, Drag Racer 3, Speed Racing, Asphalt: Urban GT 2, Project Gotham Racing 4, Transformers: The Game, Forza Motorsport2, and Forza Motorsport 3.

Final Thoughts: This is an expensive Mustang. Both the Shelby GT500 and Roush 427R are faster the the Saleen S281. Yet the S281 is more expensive then the GT500 and 427R. If I was going to rank the three Mustangs, I would go Roush, Shelby, then Saleen. The S281 is still a good variant of the Mustang, but there are better Mustang variants out there.

CarJunkie
Photos taken from a camera phone

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car 4.6 liter V8 Engine

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Performance Vehicles revealed their new S281 model based on 2010 Ford Mustang, prepared for this year’s SEMA show. They say it’s a car for enthusiasts who are looking for an exhilarating driving experience, with refined driveability for real-world road conditions.This package is honestly oneof the coolest Mustang we’ve seen for this car,Saleen has took a more elegant approach designing this car than tuners usually do. It comes with modified front and rear fascia that makes it even more muscular.

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car

2010 Saleen Mustang S281 is powered by a 4.6 liter V8 with Saleen Series VI.5 twin-screw supercharger and dual-stage intercooler. It chucks out 485 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. This power is delivered to the rear wheels through a a short-throw, five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 final drive ratio.

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car

As for chassis tuning, Saleen has provided this car with a racing grade suspension. It includes specially tuned, single-rate front and rear springs;
nitrogen-pressurized front struts and rear shocks with a wide range of damping adjustments; and a specially tuned front sway bar with performance pivot bushings.

The S281 is also fitted with 20-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso high-performance tires.

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car

For the interior Saleen offers leather sport seats with Ultra-Suede inserts, highlighted by chevron-like Ultra-Suede red tabs in the seatback bolsters,and unique treatments of the gauges, steering wheel, center console and shifter. There also are contrasting Saleen logos in the door panels, and Saleen logos in the door sill plates that illuminate when the door is opened.

2010 Saleen S281 Mustang Sports Car