Despite more than three decades of crafting unique, high-performance sportscars out of American automobiles, Saleen Automotive doesn’t enjoy quite the same level of fame as other tuning firms like Roush or Hennessey Performance.
Nonetheless, Saleen has built some memorable cars over the years, including this: the 1989 Saleen SSC (“Saleen Super Car”), based on the Fox body Ford Mustang GT. A reported 161 examples were built, with 1989 the sole model year.
The example shown above came up for auction on eBay recently, located in Brooklyn, New York with just 6,408 original miles shown on the odometer. The car still wears its original Oxford White paint, with yellow and gray decals on the front fender panels. A reported 292 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque were possible, according to website Bold Ride, thanks to a revised intake with a larger throttle body, heavy-duty cooling system, and large port heads.
Photo: stefn1 on eBay
Mated to this potent V8 was a 5-speed BorgWarner manual transmission, turning a 3.55:1 Auburn limited-slip differential at the rear. Extra chassis-bracing, SVO brakes, and a suspension improved with Racecraft springs and Monroe Formula GP dampers helped the Saleen SSC handle as well as it went in a straight line. A custom Saleen body kit with an aggressive rear wing left no one wondering whether this Mustang was indeed something special.
Adding to this 1989 SSC Mustang’s rarity is that it wears Chassis No. 185, making it one of the very last examples built (Saleen skipped a few numerical sequences). The dashboard is signed by its creator: Mr. Steven Saleen himself.
Bidding stands at $26,200 at the time of this writing, though the unspecified reserve hasn’t yet been met. Check out the original eBay listing for more details and images.
Comments
Is this SSC Saleen still available?