Before I do this, I also want to make a note to my grandchildren who may read this one day. This blog will talk about some of the things that I did when I was young and also a little older. When I was doing these things I was being very careful and circumstances were perfect. But all of this, in know way is my permission for you to even think about doing something like this when and if you have a chance. I never once put any one's life in jeopardy other than my own. Please if you should happen to inherit this crazy motorhead disease that I have, please be very careful!! As they say; Don't try this at home!
The 69 was my last Mustang due to all those financial hurdles that come with life. I had other uses for my money and there wasn't much if anything left over for toys. Jump ahead many years to 1993. My next and last Mustang was a Toy, and just that a, Toy. There is no other real use for it.
The Ford garage in Broomfield, CO where I was living at the time was a Saleen dealer also. For those of you who don't follow Mustangs here is the scoop on the Saleen Mustang. Ford sends a basic LX Mustang to Steve Saleen in CA. Steve is a racer who races Mustangs on the SCCA circuit. He builds a Mustang much the same way that Carol Shelby did in the 60s. After he is done tweaking it, he then sends the Mustang to select Ford dealers that are Saleen dealers also. The cars are all serial numbered each year. He makes around 100 of them each year, or at least he used to make just that much. He also builds the S7 that races on the SCCA circuit. For more information on him go to:
http://www.saleen.com/default.asp
One day when I was at the Ford garage kicking tires,(My slang for looking at new vehicles), I found out they had just taken delivery on Saleen #66. It again was love at first site. I went home to get Brenda to see what she thought. Now to her it was just a convertible but she still liked it a lot. We decided that you only live once and with all the saving for retirement we were doing we decided to allow ourselves this one luxury. So after much dickering #66 was ours. It was 66 of 85 made in 1993 and the only one made with the options that it had.
Even though I am now much older than 1969, I think the excitement was the same. We picked it up and left for Branson Missouri the next day with it. What a blast to drive. Let me explain the options that this Brute had.
Keep in mind that today's horsepower ratings are done differently from back in the 60s. This little pony was only rated at 325hp and it would run circles around the Mach1 that Ford said was putting out about 375.
As I mentioned earlier it started out as a LX Mustang. Saleen completely changes the suspension, the car now only sits about 4 inches off of the ground and corners like you can't imagine. He changes the graphics on the outside and also adds a different front and rear end from stock. He replaces the wheels with Stern rims and low profile tires with a Z rating which means they are good for high speeds. Last on the exterior is a padded roll bar being it was a convertible.
For the engine he removes the exhaust and adds Borla stainless steel exhaust that are hooked to headers designed by his team. The output of this package is the sweetest sound you will hear a small block V8 make. He then adds a Vortec supercharger that adds a little wine when you stick your foot into it. Kind of like a jet engine taking off but not quite so loud. He then changes spark plugs and adds a performance chip to get the most use out of the supercharger and exhaust.
For the interior he replaces the seats with Recaro seats with his logo on them. He also removes the gauges and replaces them with his. He also adds a boost gauge. He also adds a shifter that is designed by his team.
Top speed is supposed to be 155 mph. I can't vouch for that as I let off at about 140. It didn't have anything to do with flying but man things come up and go by you real quick when you are going at this speed. I was also racing a Porche who I could see wasn't going to give up. I had him beat and it was a race to see who could hold it to the floor the longest. I let him win that one. I could see I was already pulling him on the top end so I let off of it and let him go by.
Back to the options. Last one was the Spider kit. Other than all of the power options this was one of my favorites. It was a tanua cover that covered the top when it was down and also came into the interior and covered the rear seat. This made it look like a 2 seater.
Well that about does it. I had this Mustang until 2000. We didn't drive it much and it only had a little over 5,000 miles on it. I never raced it but did have it one car show in Steamboat Springs, CO. I won a trophy there in the Saleen/aftermarket class. We were retiring now and couldn't really justify the need for 4 vehicles. Yes 4, Pickup, Explorer, Motorcycle, and the Saleen. With the traveling we were going to be doing with the RV it just didn't make sense to keep it. If I knew we were going to end up in AZ as quick as we did I would have kept it and sent the Explorer down the road, but who was to know. I advertised it on the Internet and sold it to a guy from West Virginia. I got just short of what I paid for it so it was a cheap toy to have for the 7 years I had it. It was a collectors item so it held it's value pretty well along with the care I gave it. It was driven in the rain once and didn't have one mark or chip on it. Definitely the funnest and fastest Mustang of the three that I owned. Make sure you check out the WEB site. The new Saleens put out even more HP. ARGH ARGH ARGH!!!!!
Life is good if you let it.
1 comment:
Interesting...I have a brother-in-law who lives on a ranch by Squaw Gap. He has a special Mustang that he bought, but doesn't drive (or not very much). I'll have to ask him about the particulars. I think he bought his five to 10 years ago. It's hard to tell anymore.
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