Autoblog

To celebrate its 26th year as Orange County's most prestigious classic car show, this year's Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance moved from its recent home in Irvine to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Still not Newport Beach, but much closer to the ocean at least. Benefiting the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and the Assessment and Treatment Services Center, the event featured Cadillac as its honored marque to commemorate GM's 100th birthday this year. Besides the gorgeous 1931 Cadillac Sport Phaeton V16 Fleetwood poster car, there were at least a dozen other notable Caddys, as well as about 150 other beautiful classic and collector cars, of which you can see most of them in our high-res gallery below.

Although a notch below the premier events like Pebble Beach, some of the most beautiful and significant vehicles around show up for this concours. Representatives from The Petersen, The Nethercutt Collection, the William Lyon Estate, the Mercedes Classic Center, the Simon Collection, the Caballeriza Collection, and the Marconi Museum were on display, alongside some superb machinery from local collectors like David Sydorick and Peter Mullin. Altogether there were about 150 cars in 14 classes. Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Packards, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Delahayes, Mercedes, Rolls-Royces, Duesenbergs, Woodies, race cars and even a horseless carriage or two were visible through the fog around the links.

Personal favorites included the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Sport Coupe, 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet, 1908 Niclausse D971B, 1961 Abarth 1000 GT Bialbero Berlinetta, 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Berlinetta, 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota, 2006 Saleen S7R, 1959 Ferrari 410 Super America Series III, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Shooting Brake Woody, 1933 Duesenberg J Speedster and the blue Ferrari 550 Barchetta in the parking lot. Another great show for a wonderful cause.


All photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

"A dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed on the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph." Beautiful words from the quotable Benjamin Disraeli, and inspiration for the name of the latest Mustang to come from Saleen's stable. Due to the car's name it may sound like our title is a clever play on words, but the truth is our seat time was limited to the passenger seat. We can't blame Saleen for being careful with the car - the 2009 Dark Horse Mustang you see here is the first one off the assembly line and is the only one built so far. To their credit, Saleen did take us out to Willow Springs Raceway outside of Los Angeles for some flying laps, so we were able to experience the full capabilities of the car's performance. Follow the jump to hear about our day at the track with perhaps the most fearsome production Mustang ever built.

All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high resolution image

With the 2010 Ford Mustang set to be unveiled in November, time is running out for tuners to put out special edition Mustangs. Saleen seems to have saved its best for last and will be unveiling a "Dark Horse" Mustang next week. The super-Stang will feature the 620 horsepower V8 from the S302 Extreme plus the SuperShaker system that combines a functional ram air system with Saleen's twin-screw supercharger system - a first for a Saleen production car. The "Dark Horse" will sport the Heritage body style and have additional features exclusive to the model. Production will begin in the Fall of 2008, and only 25 will be produced. Our best guess for the "Dark Horse" moniker is that the car will feature an all matte-black paint scheme. We'll bring you all the details of the car after its official debut next week.

UPDATE

Saleen sent us a rendering of the Dark Horse, which can be seen above.

While sales of the Dodge Viper may be down, Chrysler President Jim Press insists that buyers have been lining up to buy the entire operation. Among those potentially interested are American powerhouses Roush and Saleen. The latter, it's worth noting, is already involved in making the Viper, painting the cars off the assembly line. Whatever company ends up buying the Viper operation, Chrysler expects to make anywhere from $50 million to three times that before it vacates its Conner Avenue plant by the end of 2011, and has hired financial firm Lazard Limited to handle the sale.

Potentially of equal interest will be the opportunity, as Press sees it, to expand the Viper line-up. We're not sure what else you could make on the V10 sportscar platform, considering that convertible, coupe and hard-core track-day versions are already in line-up. But we'd sure be interested to find out.

[Source: Car and Driver]

We haven't received an official announcement from Saleen, but we're here to report that Chris Theodore has been named the new CEO of Saleen, Inc. His previous title at the company was Vice Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, and he has helped drive the development of Saleen's latest vehicles including the S5S Raptor Concept, S302 Extreme, and Dan Gurney Signature Series Mustang. Theodore is most famous for his time at Ford as the head of North American Car Product Development, where he initiated the development of the Ford GT and was also responsible for other vehicles like the 2002 Ford Thunderbird and the 2001 Bullitt Mustang. We have no information on why former Saleen CEO Paul Wilbur is no longer at the position, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out.

UPDATE - a letter from Saleen regarding the new appointment has been including after the jump.

When we think of shaker hood scoops, our minds conjure up images of classic muscle cars with rumbling V8s. The current Mustang's retro design looks pretty darn good with a shaker installed as well, as Saleen proved with the Parnelli Jones Mustang. The only problem is that a shaker hood doesn't combine well with one of Saleen's best selling aftermarket parts, their Series VI twin-screw supercharger. Since both take up the same space, Mustang owners have to either choose between classic good looks or a boost in horsepower. Until now. Speedlab, the aftermarket arm of Saleen, has developed a new product called the Super Shaker that is the best of both worlds. Not only does it combine a shaker hood and a supercharger, but the direct injection of cold air from outside the engine bay actually improves horsepower and keeps the motor running cooler. A variety of kits are available, including full systems as well as upgrade kits for both Saleen S281 Supercharged Mustangs and even the Parnelli Jones Mustang. Follow the jump for full details on the Super Shaker in the press release from Saleen or get ordering info on Saleen's web site.

[Source: Saleen]

Click above for a high resolution image

We got wind of Saleen's new value-oriented brand last week, and they made it official with a press release introducing Racecraft and its first product, the 420S. The sub-$40,000 Mustang will have a focus on pure performance and offers up a supercharged V8 with 420 horsepower as well as an upgraded suspension, lightweight wheels, exterior graphics, and a few interior accents. If buyers want a little more, they can also shop the Saleen Speedlab catalog for items like the 475 horsepower upgrade kit that retails for just under a grand and doesn't void the 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. That's near GT500 territory, but for $5,000 less (not including markup on the Shelby), and about 300+ lbs lighter. The car will be officially unveiled at Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 26, and if you're in the area we hear they will be offering demo rides. The press release and a full list of 420S features can be found after the jump.

[Source: Saleen]

It's been just about a year since we last heard anything about the Gibbs Aquada, which should be coming to American roads and shores near you shortly. Last we heard, Gibbs was looking for an American partner and a place to get some engineering work and production done. At least one of those goals seems to have been met, as reports are now coming in that Saleen, makers of super-fast Mustangs and exotic cars, has been tapped to provide design and engineering work for the U.K. based aquatic vehicle company.

Saleen will be working on the U.S. version of the Aquada, a vehicle which is intended to offer sportscar performance on land and speedboat thrills on the water. Other vehicles from Gibbs include an all-terrain Hummer-style aquatic utility vehicle known as the Humdinga and the Polish Quadski, which combines the capabilities of a four-wheeled ATV and a jet ski.

[Source: WWJ Newsradio]

Saleen has launched a barrage of new products since company founder Steve Saleen left the company last summer including the S302 Extreme, H302SC, Dan Gurney Signature Series Mustang, Sterling Edition Mustang, and the S5S Raptor Concept. While these new Saleen vehicles are pushing the level of performance upwards, it seems that the price has ballooned, as well. We'd love to have a Sterling Edition Mustang in the garage, but realistically, how many people can afford a $90,000 Mustang? While Saleen may have increased desirability with its new models, the obtainability went down as a result.

Saleen may have the answer. In a recent letter to its dealers, Saleen announced that it would be introducing "a new brand of performance products...at a more competitive price point." Like Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, and Honda Acura, Saleen will be able to have both a value and a high-end brand. Using the RaceCraft name, which has previously been the name of suspension components, the first vehicle in the lineup will be the 420S Mustang featuring a supercharged V8 with 420 horsepower, an array of suspension upgrades, 18-inch wheels and tires, aluminum instrument panel, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 420S graphics and more. All for $38,995. Considering a fully loaded Mustang GT can easily exceed $30,000, the 420S actually seems like a pretty good deal. Also in the works is a RaceCraft Ford Focus with a target price of $20,000. Hopefully they'll keep the nitrous out of the car this time and won't get fined by the California Air Resources Board.

A list of features for the RaceCraft 420S Mustang can be found after the jump.

[Source: The Chrome Pony]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Dan Gurney SS Mustang's arrival

It's been just a few months since Saleen announced its Dan Gurney Signature Series Mustang at the New York Auto Show in April, but the limited edition Mustang has already hit showroom floors. Apparently the car at the show was fairly production ready, although we heard that Gurney spent the last few months helping fine tune the suspension just the way he wanted it. According to Saleen, he still would be if they had let him. In addition to the specially tailored suspension settings, the Gurney Edition also features unique bodywork, graphics and interior as well as lightweight 19-inch wheels and Saleen's supercharged V8 pushing out 465 horsepower. We attended a kick-off party at Galpin Ford in Van Nuys, CA where Dan Gurney was on hand to show off the car and sign autographs. We were also able to take a closer look at the car so we could choose which of the three color schemes we like best, but we're still undecided. A high resolution gallery is below that should help you decide for yourself.