The 2007 Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang

When you’re driving around in a race car complete with racing #15, a “black striped fully functional ‘shaker’ hood” and a “Grabber Orange” coat of paint, it’s hard not to raise a few eyebrows. With only 500 produced, Saleen decided on one color and design to “capture the raw, aggressive attitude that Parnelli raced with.”

This commemorative Saleen Mustang was designed to give you a 1970s experience complete with everything but the bell bottoms. It certainly does take drivers back to the time when Parnelli Jones was king of the SCCA Trans Am Series in his “black striped Grabber Orange Boss 302” Mustang. To make the Limited Edition Mustang even more exceptional, every car is personally signed by Parnelli Jones and Steve Saleen complete with a serialized dash plaque. Saleen took great means to create pure authenticity by including “… 302 side stripes, contemporized louvers and [Saleen’s] Minilite-inspired racing wheels.”

After living in North Carolina for two years I should have had a little more appreciation for racing but to be honest, the racecar appeal meant nothing to me until I drove it. Don’t get me wrong; this car looks good with the “new front and rear fascias, side skirts, front and rear chrome trim, Boss replica wing, trunk insert license plate panel, vented rear window quarter panels, and a racing-inspired billet gas cap.” I also enjoyed the extensive graphics package which included “steering wheel and wheel badges, custom gauge faces, sill plates, seat badges, and vinyl cling Steve Saleen and Parnelli Jones driver’s roof decals, and roundels with Parnelli’s signature #15 race number.” Personally, though, I prefer luxury over speed and graphics.

The bucket seats were nice though I would have liked seat warmers but I realize that’s not what this car’s about. It’s about muscle and speed; it’s about driving a fast car and hearing the engine that is barely contained by race derived hood pins, not the radio (though the stereo volume did accelerate as I did).

The orange toy car became my guilty pleasure - as intriguing as an episode of Desperate Housewives allowing for no interruptions and removing me from my current life style. This is where the appreciation for a racecar kicked in. It was a live fantasy show; a true fantasy vehicle.

I had the most fun taking off. With 400 horses under the hood, how couldn’t I? The horsepower was amazing and for the speed achieved at take off, the Mustang managed to maintain a slick, pristine, smooth like butta’ motion. So how did it do this? Its Saleen MOD 302 V8 3-valve engine produced “400 HP at 6000 RPM and 390 ft-lb of torque at 4000 RPM. The high rev, high compression engine utilizes forged pistons, rods, crankshaft, a lightweight aluminum flywheel and Saleen’s PowerFlashTM technology.” I will say I felt like something was missing once the car got going. It was as if it wanted a sixth gear to really open up into. The momentum was shot around fourth gear and the car, aside from its exterior, sadly turned into just another vehicle on the highway.

You have to know how to drive a car like this. The risk of fishtailing around corners is, however, minimized with the smart distribution in weight. It also helps that this car is equipped with RacecraftTM precision suspension. The new race derived Watts-Link suspension, superior springs, shocks, sway bars and Saleen 14” brakes provide increased drivability and helps the car fight to stay straight.

It’s definitely not a practical car for Michigan winters but it’s not supposed to be. At a price tag of $59,015, it’s a good idea to protect the investment. It’s a fun toy to parade around in the good weather seasons, but deserved to be tucked in under a secure blanket for sweet dreams in a warm garage all winter.

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