Legendary Mustang tuner Saleen Automotive is teasing something new. It’s a much wider Mustang that looks like it will offer loads of extra grip and probably a few more horses than standard.
But the company is also looking for cash, seeking out investors, and the figures it touts aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring.
Saleen Shows Secretive SR Widebody
Saleen SR WidebodySaleen
The new car is called the Saleen SR Widebody. It’s an S650 Mustang, the latest generation, which launched in May 2023, but it’s hard to see much more than that under the curtain of this digital rendering.
We can tell there will be very wide front and rear fenders, but that’s part of the name. There is also a massive wing on the trunk lid, and it might even be larger than the unit Ford fits to the factory-monster GTD.
The GTD is the car this one will have to compete with. Ford’s own uber-Stang uses a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 that makes 815 horsepower and 864 pound-feet of torque. It also costs more than $325,000, and is built in extremely limited numbers.
This SR Widebody is most likely based on the 5.0-liter Mustang GT or Dark Horse. Saleen has plenty of experience with that engine, and it sells a Mustang 302 with 775 hp in Yellow Label form, or with 850 hp as the Black Label. Both, however, trail the GTD significantly in peak torque (650 lb-ft for Yellow and 700 for Black) and have slower acceleration and lower top speeds.
Those shortcomings are less important when the most expensive Saleen car is well under half the price of a GTD.
Saleen Is Still Looking For Investors?
2025 Saleen 302 Black Label Front 3/4 ViewSaleen
The performance car company is also looking for investment to help it grow. A campaign earlier this year was offering access to early brand announcements for $1,500, and $5,000 for a virtual investor event with founder Steve Saleen. For $50,000, you could get 5% off one of the company’s cars and a day with Saleen.
Those all came with stock shares, and Saleen is selling shares again this time. The car company has listed a $45 million valuation and an estimated share price of $1.50. In an email to potential investors, Saleen said it was raising funds for its cars “from individual investors like you” and had raised $110,000 in less than two weeks. The automaker wants to build its S1 supercar, a mid-engine model first introduced nine years ago, in 2017.
Last October, Saleen unveiled another supercar, called the S11. At the announcement, Saleen said the company would open up design-choice crowdsourcing throughout the following year to help fans create the final car. We haven’t seen the vehicle since that initial reveal, and it has not appeared on the automaker’s social media channels.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
1988 Ford Ranger Saleen Sport TruckMecum Auctions
Saleen has built some epic Mustangs since the former racer started his company in 1984. They were especially appreciated in the earlier years, where Ford’s own efforts on Mustang left a lot to be desired. The company has sold more than 40,000 cars and pickups, and has had a close relationship with Ford that included engineering work on the 2005 Ford GT.
Of course, there have also been various financial hardships, name changes, and other cars outside the Mustang family that have come and gone. With the S1 still on the docket nine years after being shown, it might be difficult to get on-board with another new project.
But whatever the SR Widebody is, we have no doubt it will be awesome. It’s the company’s supercar efforts that might give us pause.
