Steve Saleen has had a very busy past few years, leaving the company he founded only to turn around and launch a competitor, SMS Supercars. Then Steve triumphantly returned to the helm of Saleen, and since then he has been busy churning out top-notch supercars that made him famous in the first place. But just because a new Mustang is due out next year doesn’t mean he’ll be slowing down to catch his breath.
Rather, Saleen rolled out an all new model this weekend at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca raceway; the George Follmer Edition Mustang. Named after famous Ford racing driver (you guessed it) George Follmer, this new Mustang is the first of a trifecta of Saleen-built vehicles named after racing legends.
Launched with help from Follmer himself, this new Saleen Mustang does not lack anything in terms of hood scoops or body modifications. Painted a searing black-and-red livery and boasting an estimated 470 hp from the 5.0 V8, expect famous Saleen race-tuned suspension with a watts linkage and six-speed manual transmission to deliver a high-grip modern driving experience with some retro flair. Adding to the retro look is also the mini-lite inspired wheels, which also harken back to the glory days of the BOSS in the Trans-Am series. The design looks just like Follmer’s 1969 BOSS 302 Mustang that he raced in the Trans-Am series.
Saleen debuted these cars at Mazda Laguna Secca Raceway as part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reuninon. The Follmer Mustang will be followed with a Mark Donahue Edition Camaro, set to launch in January. Then next spring the final piece of the puzzle, a Saleen Barracuda celebrating Mopar legend Swede Savage, will be introduced, rounding out a retro field of modern muscle cars. Up to 250 of each model will be built, at a cost of $75,000 each. One thing’s for sure; Saleen knows his market is still digging anything retro or racing, and he should have no trouble selling these special edition muscle cars.