Saleen Club of America

Featured Car of the Month

Bart Gadlage's '94 S351

# 94-0011 ~ January 2005

This month we feature the first Saleen S351 built. The story of 94-0011 is told below by the owner himself. Enjoy!

-The Saleen Club of America

Built April 25, 1994 by Joe Gosinski & Richard "Russ" Kruse with help from: Jimmy Moore, Production Manager. This car was built by Saleen Performance to introduce the SN-95 (1994) body style to the public for the 30^th Anniversary of the Mustang @ Charlotte Motor Speedway along with Steve Saleen’s famous Yellow SR 351-11 coupe and the V6 sport concept cars. The car was actually built, finished, and had a special preview at Young Ford (original dealer car was sold through) in Charlotte prior to the 30^th Anniversary show (see pictures). This particular car was debuted at the show where the Bodine family fell in love (not to mention the car matched his racing #11) with the car and made an offer to Saleen to close the deal. Shortly thereafter the car was sold back to Saleen and purchased by a gentleman in southern CA who raced off shore power boats with Steve Saleen for the team Outta Control (as featured in Turbo magazine) used mainly for promotion of the Speedway Café, Saleen Performance, and the Outta Control power boat team. While the 2^nd owner loved the car, he longed for the SR edition of the S-351. The Saleen Race Team was given orders to use 94-11 to prototype all of the SR components on this triple black Spyder. No expense was spared in making the car perform as well as it looked. Many unique features separate the car from the crowd. A pair of ultra expensive Recaro seats (only two sets made for Saleen), full carbon fiber hood (not carbon & composite), prototype light bar for the SN-95 body style (sans light in the bar), Magnesium wheels, Alcon brakes, Saleen Race Team built motor, and all of the SR spec components from Saleen, topped off by a complete 1997 upgrade by Saleen that included the enhanced fuel & engine management system. The owner had a new toy on order (new Ferrari F355 Spyder) and when the stunning Ferrari was delivered the S-351 was sold to make room for the new Italian exotic. The third owner found the opportunity to own his dream car and made an offer that was accepted. After a few years of ownership the third owner met the woman of his dreams and had to make room for a wedding, honeymoon, and a ring for his new bride. I purchased the car four years ago and have enjoyed participating in the show circuit and learning about the history of the extremely rare car. The trophy list speaks for the condition of the car which is stunning to say the least. This is the next Shelby KR convertible with a rare and documented history!   

History

• Steve Saleen's former car & press/test car
• originally sold to Bodine Nascar Team
• 7th of 44 1994 S-351's built
• 1st Saleen sold to general public in 1994
• 1 of 7 Saleen S-351 Spyders in 1994
• autographed by Steve Saleen and builders
• featured in December 1996 Turbo magazine
• Letter from Saleen stating one of a kind status

Engine

• 351 ci (5.8 liter) iron block dynoed at 429 rwhp and 435 ft lbs torque (@520hp at the motor)
• TFS aluminum heads
• PRO-M 80mm mass air
• 65mm throttle body
• polished Vortech S-trim supercharger
• polished Saleen re-engineered upper & lower intake
• Bassani X-pipe
• 2.5 inch ceramic coated short tube headers
• Saleen Borla exhaust
• Tremec TKO transmission with oil cooler
• custom balanced drive shaft
• updated to 1997 specifications
• engine oil cooler

Interior

• one off leather Recaro A-8 seats (2 sets made for Saleen)
• one off styling bar (without light)
• twin gauge pod (boost & fuel pressure)
• speedster cover

Suspension

• Saleen Racecraft N2 struts with variable rate springs
• 1.38 inch sway bar
• aluminum offset bushings
• Saleen lower control arms
• Saleen caster/camber plates
• Saleen cast aluminum rear end cover
• SR underbody chassis bracing

Brakes

• Front: Alcon 4 piston calipers with 13.0 inch grooved rotors
• Rear: Ford caliper with 10.5 inch disk

Options

• Saleen Speedline Magnesium wheels 18x8.5 front & 18x10 rear
• Saleen carbon fiber hood
• Saleen SR wing (actual race wing used for street prototype)

Show History (Since July 2000)

• 1st Place - MCA 25th Aniv Show, Atlanta, GA, September 2001
• Best Saleen 2002 - Fun Ford Weekend Show, Atlanta, GA, April 2002
• 1st Place - MCA National Show, Atlanta, GA, June 2002
• 1^st Place – MCA 40^th Aniv Celebration, Nashville, TN 2004

 Please click any of the pictures below for the full size image.