Bill Pierre Ford

Saleen Away

Steve Saleen, who created his company in 1983 and grew it into one of the premier specialty manufacturers of Ford-based products and the S7 supercar, is, ironically, no longer an employee of Saleen, Inc., having left in June 2007 for Chamco Auto of China, which hired the Mustang Hall of Famer to help establish its dealer network in the U.S. But although Saleen has departed, new CEO Paul Wilbur, a former general manager at Jeep, along with Chris Theodore, past vice president of product development at Ford, are forging ahead, promising to continue Saleen’s quest “to build performance cars for the enthusiast.”

Saleenless Saleen shipped us an S281-3V, the docile member of the S281 family, which also includes the 465-horsepower Supercharged and the 550-horsepower Extreme. Carrying an as-tested price of $49,613, the S281-3V is pricy but distinctive, thanks to unique front and rear fascias, $1399 20-inch chrome wheels, and such distinguishing interior bits as leather and Alcantara sport seats, black-faced six-gauge instrument panel, and billet shift knob. Underhood, Saleen-specific mods continue, highlighted by a 335-horsepower three-valve V-8 that sports a “PowerFlash Performance Calibration,” a 98mm mass airflow sensor, power pulleys and damper, a high-flow inlet tube, and a 2.5-inch performance exhaust system.

Armed with a 3.73:1 axle ratio, the Saleen, with its power advantage, paid dividends at the dragstrip, going 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.7 at 102.1 mph. Around the skidpad and figure eight, though, the S281, utilizing a “Racecraft Suspension” with linear-rate coil springs, a larger 35mm front anti-roll bar, and N2 dampers, exhibited poor grip and posted a slow time. Observes technical editor Kim Reynolds: “The Saleen exhibits a lot of understeer in these tests and seems resistant to rotation.” The S281 was also resistant to stopping, needing 123 feet to erase 60, a feat attributable to its stock brakes.

In real-world tests, the Saleen rated better than at the track, invigorating our senses with confidence-inspiring handling, a slick gearshift, and a high-pitched free-revving engine.

Feeling racy? Take the Saleen for a spin.

Ford Australia shows Dearborn how it’s done

Although still more than two months away from its on-sale date Down Under, Ford Australia has revealed key details of its new-look Falcon. The early roll-out of information on the Pontiac G8-sized sedan is fascinating fodder for Ford-watchers trying to determine what Dearborn might be planning for its forthcoming global rear drive platform.

Known as ‘Orion’ throughout its development, and now officially christened ‘FG’ Falcon, the car provides evidence that Ford at last is beginning to get its global product development act together. The exterior of the upmarket versions, for example, is styled so the Australian-designed sedan could slip into a snapshot of European ‘Kinetic Design’ Fords without looking out of place.

And beneath its all-new skin, Falcon is engineered for best-in-class handling, ride and steering. The directive to deliver A-grade dynamics came straight from FoMoCo HQ in Dearborn, say senior Ford Australia product development executives, along with a bunch of other ‘Ford DNA’ instructions affecting everything down to the placement of electric-window switches and rear-view mirror adjustment knobs.

While program approval for the FG Falcon was given about one year before the September 2006 appointment of Alan Mulally as Ford president and CEO, the finished job apparently has impressed the ex-Boeing executive. During a personal trip to Australia in September 2007, Mulally dropped by to visit the local Ford folks at their Melbourne headquarters. Shown the upscale G6E Turbo variant of the new Falcon, his reported response was simple: “I want one”.

Mulally wasn’t the only high-ranking Ford official to show up in Melbourne through 2007. A couple of months earlier, global product development boss Derrick Kuzak and his team of helpers had stopped by. They checked out Ford Australia’s engineering and design facilities, proving ground and manufacturing plants.

Since that time, rumors have gathered strength that Ford Australia will win the lead role in development of the global rear-drive architecture, in much the same way GM’s Holden subsidiary did a lot of the heavy lifting on Zeta. The production timeframe for Ford models using the architecture is 2011 or 2012. Such timing matches the product cadence of both the Mustang and the Falcon.