Steve Saleen is back on the scene with his first "Signature Series" model.
06-10-08: The specialty car business is a tough game for anyone. The list of entreprenuers, designers, dreamers who sought to build dream cars and then became mired in financial ruin and failure is long. The club of those who are able to make it happen and keep making it happen is very small. Steve Saleen has not had it easy in this business, but has built a reputation for innovative design and cars that really stand out.
While his company of over 20 years bearing his name is no longer his, he has not given up his passion for taking good cars and making them better. In the last year he has started a new company called SMS which will seek to continue his work as a custom upfitter. Steve’s latest endeavor will focus on the expansion into the high-end of the diverse American Muscle Car markets.
In May, Steve Saleen introduced the first product in his line of Signature Series ultra-high performance vehicles, the SMS 570TM Challenger and SMS 570XTM Challenger. The fully certified and street legal SMS Challengers will be based on the all-new and exciting 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T platform and will feature a SMS Supercharged 5.7L Hemi with respective power ratings from 500 to over 700 horsepower.
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Both models are fully equipped with a compliment of SMS ultra-high performance components including: drivetrain, suspension, aerodynamics, tires, wheels and interior. “The horsepower and torque that we are developing from the SMS Supercharged Hemi is phenomenal” explains Billy Tally, SMS Chief Technical Officer, “combined with suspension and braking improvements our SMS Challenger will be an incredibly capable, refined and tractable vehicle”.
Each of these limited edition vehicles will be personally signed by Steve Saleen as part of the SMS Signature Series product line complete with unique badges and graphics. Production numbers will be limited per year depending on the model and the opportunity to be one of the few owners is limited to a first-come, first-served basis.
“The Dodge Challenger is a great canvas to start with” notes Phil Frank, Chief Creative Officer, “the SMS Challenger will help define our design DNA as we introduce some exciting and functional aesthetic innovations to this already great platform”. “I am drawing upon 25 years of rich experience in the automotive industry to address the rapidly expanding global market of automotive lifestyle vehicles, technical performance parts, accessories and apparel” explains Mr. Saleen “SMS is enabling us to do what could not be done at Saleen, Inc. due to the their heritage with the Ford dealer network and Ford
vehicles. We are using this freedom, along with our new technology developed at SMS, to create world-class specialty vehicles.”
SMS has a new 150,000 square-foot facility in Southern California not far from the old Saleen Inc. complex. It is said to be designed for collaboration, efficiency and security. The state-of-the-art-design, development, prototype, machining, testing and composites groups support manufacturing, production, the SMS race team and clients. We hope that most of all it is designed for success as Steve’s new venture will be facing an uphill battle in the increasingly hostile economic and legislative climate for muscle cars. In any case, we wish him the best of luck with his new venture.
