Saleen Club of America

Featured Car of the Month

Ron & Susan Mitchell's '01 S281

# 01-0843 ~ March 2005

This month we feature Ron & Susan Mitchell's Saleen S281. You may recall seeing their Saleen at some of the events in the Midwest such as the Saleenfest Midwest Events, catching up with Steve in Kentucky and the MCA 40th Show. The story of 01-0843 is told below by the owner himself. Enjoy!

-The Saleen Club of America

The very first late model Saleen I ever saw up close was a fellow Falls City Club member Larry Weiss' 1999 S351 Speedster, and at that moment I knew I had to have a Saleen Mustang. At that time I had a black 1998 Supercharged Cobra convertible that was a really nice car. It was the same time Ford unveiled its new Mineral Gray. The year was 2001 and I knew I was getting a new Mineral Gray convertible Cobra or Saleen Speedster. After a friend bought a Mineral Gray convertible that ruled out the Cobra. With only 4 Saleen dealers in a 200 mile radius of Louisville, I thought I had no chance of getting a Mineral Gray Saleen Speedster.

I called Bill Collin's Ford and I could not believe they had the exact car and color I wanted and the timing couldn't have been better because my wife Susan was out of town. I called my wife (after I had already bought the Saleen) and told her how much I loved her and that I had a surprise for her and some papers to sign when she got home. I'm still married, so I guess Susan likes the car as much as I do.

Our car was built in Dearborn Michigan on August 2, 2001 as a Mustang GT convertible and shipped to Saleen Incorporated for Saleen's modifications which include Speedster package, Race Craft N2 shocks, struts and springs, Urethane bushings, HD Sway bar, chrome Saleen wheels with Pirelli tires, Saleen Powerflash EMC Performance calibration, Saleen Borla exhaust, Saleen close ratio shifter, Saleen front and rear facia, side skirts, side scoops, rear wing, 200mph speedometer with white faced gauges, Saleen (Momo) carbon fiber shifter knob, Saleen floor mats, Saleen Graphics and Identification plaques.

The car was shipped on August 31, 2001 to Bill Collin's Ford where I purchased it on October 16, 2001. Shortly thereafter I started adding my own modifications which include Saleen Series II Supercharger, Saleen Gauges (Boost & Intercooler Temp), 13" Cobra brakes with cross drilled and slotted rotors, Magna Flow X-Pipe with high flow Cats, Wind Guard, Saleen door inserts, Saleen pedal covers, Solid shifter bushings, Saleen Bra and Saleen Car Cover.

The Saleen has won the only MCA National Show it was shown at with a score of 699 out of a possible 700. It also won a judges choice award of excellence at the Mustang 40th Anniversary Celebration and has won three regional MCA shows.

 

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