Saleen Performance to end S302 Ford Mustang production, prepares to expand

If ordering a Saleen S302 Ford Mustang is on your wish list, the time to do it is now.

Revstone Industries, owner of Saleen Performance Vehicles, said on Wednesday that it will stop taking orders for the car in May and will finish building Saleen Mustangs in suburban Detroit by the fall.

But the Lexington, Ky.-based company is not getting out of the performance parts and merchandise businesses and isn't abandoning the vehicle-upfitting field, spokesman Pete Borum said.

In fact, Revstone wants to grow those businesses. But the company says that the Saleen name has become so connected with the Ford Mustang that it needs a fresh start in the market.

Also, the Saleen name has passed through a series of owners since race-car driver Steve Saleen launched his performance-Mustang business in 1983. Ironically, Saleen does not own the rights to use his name on cars. His current business uses the name SMS Supercars.

Revstone acquired the Saleen name in February 2009.

"We want to clean the slate and get back to engineering performance cars," Borum said. "We have a wide variety of customer relationships that we look to explore."

Revstone, which also owns several auto-parts-manufacturing companies, will keep the rights to the Saleen name. It will manufacture and sell replacement Saleen parts, Borum said. It will also honor the warranties on Saleen cars.

But the company looks to use other brand names for its parts and vehicles going forward. Borum said the company is not ready to disclose those names yet. It plans to release more details about its strategy this summer.

"The teams responsible for engineering and development of Saleen bring a level of engineering prowess and passion that is second to none," Bob LaCourciere, president of Revstone Aftermarket, said in a statement. "We want to apply that same talent and dedication to second-stage manufacturing."

By Dale Jewett