DAVID BYRON
Design Director, Saleen Performance Vehicles
David Byron joined Saleen in the Spring of 2009 and is responsible for shaping the design direction of all the company's vehicles.
Prior to joining Saleen, Byron was senior designer for American Specialty Cars (ASC) on the Saleen Team, where he designed the 2008 S5S Raptor Supercar. He then oversaw all Saleen production-line work for 2008 and 2009.
Also at ASC, as a member of the company's General Motors' Specialty Vehicle Team, Byron designed the 2005 Malibu SS and 2008 Buick Lacrosse Super Edition. He interned at GM's North Hollywood Design Studio.
Byron graduated in 2004 from the College for Creative Studies (CCS) with a bachelor of fine arts degree in transportation design. He now teaches digital / visual communications within the Department of Transportation Design at CCS.
Byron grew up in New Jersey and always wanted to design cars. "I was possessed," says Byron. "It's all I ever thought about. I would draw cars all the time."
When he was 11, Byron won the ‘Best Looking Pinewood Derby' entry in the New Jersey state championship, by crafting a Lomborghini Diablo-looking creation out of a two-by-four, using a chisel that he borrowed from his grandfather who owned an auto body shop.
Byron has had American Muscle in his blood since day one. His first car was a used 1992 black Pontiac Firebird, which he bought with more than 100,000 miles on the odometer. He's proud to say that it lasted for nine more years.
