| The
2007
Saleen
/ Parnelli Jones Limited
Edition Mustang
Debuts
At The New York Auto Show
Design
Celebrates Racing Legend,
Parnelli Jones, and Delivers
370 bhp
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April
13, 2006, New York, New York – Specialty
automobile manufacturer, Saleen,
expands its product lineup
and celebrates legendary racecar
driver, Parnelli Jones, by
announcing the Saleen / Parnelli
Jones Limited Edition Mustang.
Steve
Saleen , President & CEO
of Saleen, said, “Parnelli
Jones is an American racing icon.
In the fifties, sixties, and
seventies Parnelli won just about
every race that he appeared in,
including the Indy 500. 1970
was the year that the SCCA Trans
Am Series boasted the most competitive
field ever, and Parnelli Jones
and his Boss 302 Mustang competed
against the likes of Mark Donahue
and Dan Gurney, and there he
captured the championship. Our
relationship began in 1987 when
Parnelli raced for me on the
Saleen team, and helped us win
our first SCCA Manufacturer’s
Championship at Sebring, Florida.
I can’t think of any other
individual that brings with him
the unique connection between
championship winning Mustangs
and Saleen.”
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Parnelli
Jones commented, “It’s
a true honor to have a special
edition Saleen wearing my name.
This impressive car takes me back
in time – it makes me want
to take it for a run around the
track. I’m sure that this
car will be an adrenaline-pumping
experience for anyone who has the
chance to own or drive one. I think
that this car is going to evoke
nostalgia not only for Steve Saleen
and myself, but for everyone that
lays their eyes on it.”
Advanced & Authentic
In
1970, spectators wore bell
bottom pants and mood rings
and watched Parnelli in his
Grabber Orange Boss 302 Mustang
with black striped hood, cross
the finish line to take numerous
checkered flags and overall
championship.
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Saleen
/ Parnelli Jones Limited Edition
Today’s
Saleen / Parnelli Jones Limited
Edition Mustang reflects the
same authentic vintage attitude
but comes complete with a new
Saleen 302 cid V-8, 3-valve
engine. This engine produces
a whopping 370 horsepower at
6000 RPM, and with 370 ft-lb
of torque at 4000 RPM. The
high compression engine transforms
a normal drive into an exciting
thrill ride. Awakening the
senses, the new Saleen engine
is equipped with a high compression,
high revving valve train, utilizing
forged pistons, rods, and crankshaft
and a lightweight, aluminum
flywheel. Top-performance calibrations
are thanks to Saleen’s
PowerFlash TM technology.
Completing the authenticity
and providing additional high
performance capabilities is
the new exhaust system that
provides a low-resonating sound
that is a legacy of Saleen.
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Classic & Contemporary
“We
designed this commemorative
vehicle to capture the raw,
aggressive feel that Parnelli
raced with, and created a racing
revolution,” continued
Steve Saleen.
The
new Saleen / Parnelli Jones
Limited Edition comes in one
color, Grabber Orange. Period
correct details include a black
striped “shaker” hood,
race-style hood pins, black
trunk deck, and 302 side stripes.
Completing
the overall effect, the new
Limited Edition comes with
Saleen performance styling
including front fascia with
racing-style air dam, side
skirts, rear fascia, rear 1970
replica wing, trunk insert
license plate panel with chrome
trim, rear window quarter panels,
and a racing-style billet gas
cap. Demonstrating further
the authenticity of this retro-beauty,
Parnelli’s racing number,
15, removable and reusable
static cling race decals, and
the Ford blue oval are displayed – just
like the one that appeared
on Parnelli’s 1970 Boss
302 Mustang.
Signature
decals of both Steve Saleen
and Parnelli Jones show above
the door roof rails, and an
all-new Saleen Parnelli Jones
logo appears throughout the
exterior and interior. Borrowed
from the seventies are the
restyled rear window louvered
sport slats, which is an essential
part of the overall styling.
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| Saleen
Racecraft Suspension
Keeping
with both Steve Saleen’s
and Parnelli’s race
ancestry, the Limited Edition
is designed utilizing Saleen’s
own precision suspension.
However this all new, yet
classic Watts-Link suspension
is derived from racing and
performance applications,
and offers the purest in
race-type handling. The superior
springs, shocks and swaybars
provide even greater performance
capabilities enabling the
tires to remain firmly on
the road even in extreme
cornering.
Rounding
off the Limited Edition are
the Minilite-style 19”x9” front
and 19”x10” rear
racing wheels which prominently
display the Saleen / Parnelli
Jones Limited Edition center
cap, which reflects the cool
racing heritage from which
they were bred. The car is
outfitted with high-performance
Pirelli 275x40x19 front,
and 285x40x19 rear tires,
and offers race-car-like
stopping with Saleen 14” brakes.
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Racetrack
Revisited
Strap
yourself inside the Saleen
/ Parnelli Jones Limited Edition
and you’re back in time!
A
time when driving meant extreme
passion for the car, the
race – and
all about the win! Experience
the beautifully coordinated
orange and black racing-style
seats which envelop the driver
and the passenger.
Grip
the steering wheel, grab the
special Limited Edition gear
shift knob, view the integrated
twin gauge pod that reflects
oil pressure and temperature,
and vintage instrumentation
panel with its black background
and white characters, and you’re
there! Turn the key, blip the
throttle, take her for a couple
of laps around the track, or
around the block, and you can
easily imagine you’re
at Laguna Seca driving with
a racing legend – and
the checkered flag is yours!
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Feel
the Spirit
“Parnelli
Jones is an extraordinary example
of a legend maker. Even after nearly
four decades, his abilities and visions
for the sport has very few equals.
I anticipate that Parnelli’s
racing spirit will come alive in
every Saleen / Parnelli Jones Limited
Edition that we manufacture. Capping
on our motto, ‘Power in the
Hands of a Few,’ we will produce
a limited number – up to only
500 – in honor of Parnelli
winning the Indy 500 in 1963,” said
Steve Saleen.

Saleen
/ Parnelli Jones Limited
Edition
Inspired
from Parnelli’s original
1970 Boss 302 Mustang, the ‘Saleen
/ Parnelli Jones Limited Edition’ lives
and breathes all things inherently
Parnelli – and all
things Saleen!
Availability
and Pricing
Certified
Saleen Ford dealers throughout
the United States are now taking
orders for the Saleen Parnelli
Jones Limited Edition that
will be distributed this Fall
as a 2007 model. MSRP is estimated
to be in the mid-to-high $50,000
for this limited production
vehicle. Taxes, designation
charges, and other fees may
apply.
For
a local Saleen
dealer please Click Here
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