1989 Saleen Mustang SSC

1989 was the 25th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang and although Ford did not create a special edition of their legendary pony car, Steve Saleen and company decided to build a limited edition, high-performance version. The result was the Saleen SSC and just 161 examples were produced in 1989. They built 895 cars in total.

In 1979, Ford introduced the Fox-body Mustang as a replacement for the Mustang II. Its sporty design was a dramatic departure from the Mustang II body style. By the close of the 1980s, the body style was very mature and the chassis was solid.

The Saleen SSC Mustangs were all pointed white and had a number of distinct visual cues that set them apart. Number decals sat under the driver-side headlight just above a Saleen-designed urethane front air dam. Saleen decals were found on top of the windshield. Urethane skirts were placed on the side giving the car a lower look. Also on the side were yellow and gray SSC-exclusive stripes. All moldings, which encircled the car, were colored gray. In the back was a sporty wing.

Under the hood was a multi-port fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 engine. They were fitted with a 65mm throttle body which fed air into a modified upper and lower intake manifold which sent fuel to the Saleen-designed high-flow SSC heads. The valve train was upgraded with 1:7 SVO roller rockers. There was Walker Dynomax low-restriction exhaust system, polished aluminum valve covers, and a special SSC engine plenum plate. With the upgrades, the engine produced nearly 300 horsepower and 325 lb. ft of torque. Zero-to-sixty was in the mid-five-second range.

The upgraded engine was mated to a Borg-Warner T-5 manual transmission with a heavy-duty clutch. Other mechanical features included an Auburn limited-slip differential with 3.55:1 gears.

Inside, there were no backseats. Custom Saleen carpet covers and gray, yellow, and white leather bucket seats helped complete the car's sporty persona. They had a hand-tailored steering wheel, door panels, and shift knobs. Instrumentation included Saleen-branded gauges including a tachometer and a 200-mph speedometer. The stereo system was a 120-watt Pioneer CD player with a 16-band equalizer and a limited-edition rear sound enclosure.

The Mustang SSCs were given build plaques located on the passenger side of the firewall and on the console in front of the shifter.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2013