2010 Saleen S281

After a short preview, the Saleen S281 made its official debut today at SEMA Show. Based on the 2010 Ford Mustang, the S281 will be offered as a limited edition model, like most of the Saleen cars.

The exterior features an elegant design with an understated yet imposing grille and front fascia, and a refined treatment of the familiar Saleen extended rear fascia and trunk lid with a simple, elegant, integrated wing. The car sits on 20-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso high-performance tires.

The same elegance is being continued on the interior: new, leather sport seats with Ultra-Suede inserts, highlighted by chevron-like Ultra-Suede red tabs in the seatback bolsters, and unique treatments of the gauges, steering wheel, center console and shifter.

But that’s pretty much with the elegance, as under the hood there lies a real beast: a 4.6-liter V8 engine equipped with a Saleen Series VI.5 twin-screw supercharger and dual-stage intercooler that delivers a total of 485 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque.

Press release after the jump.

Press release

Saleen Performance Vehicles today unveiled the first in its 2010 premiere line of high-performance cars, the 2010 Saleen S281. The introduction took place at the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is the second Saleen vehicle launched this year, following the 2010 435S introduced in August.

The S281, based on the 2010 Ford Mustang, displays a premium level of design consideration, both exterior and interior, with performance to match. It builds on the Saleen tradition of offering limited-edition, high-performance vehicles for enthusiasts who are looking for an exhilarating driving experience, with refined driveability for real-world road conditions.

“For more than 25 years the Saleen name has stood for excellence in design, engineering, and driving dynamics,” said Mike Shields, CEO of Saleen Performance Vehicles. “The new S281 is an excellent example of what those words mean when we craft concepts into real cars. Our team has done a terrific job; I’m proud of them and proud to be offering this car to our customers.”

The S281’s exterior design features carefully crafted sculptural detailing, with lines and forms that flow naturally and suggest suppleness, power and agility. It features an understated yet imposing grille and front fascia, and a refined treatment of the familiar Saleen extended rear fascia and trunk lid with a simple, elegant, integrated wing.

“Our goal was to create the most visually enticing American sports car ever,” said David Byron, design director at Saleen Performance Vehicles. “Ford provided the perfect launching pad with the 2010 Mustang, which allowed our team to create a car that’s world class and authentically Saleen. We painstakingly toiled over every bend and break in the body and every stitch and fold in the interior.”

The S281’s 4.6-liter V8 engine is equipped with a Saleen Series VI.5 twin-screw supercharger and dual-stage intercooler. It produces 485 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a short-throw, five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 final drive ratio.

The Saleen Racecraft suspension system is new, and includes specially tuned, single-rate front and rear springs; nitrogen-pressurized front struts and rear shocks with a wide range of damping adjustments; and a specially tuned front sway bar with performance pivot bushings.

The interior features new, leather sport seats with Ultra-Suede inserts, highlighted by chevron-like Ultra-Suede red tabs in the seatback bolsters, and unique treatments of the gauges, steering wheel, center console and shifter. There also are contrasting Saleen logos in the door panels, and Saleen logos in the door sill plates that illuminate when the door is opened.

Additional exterior highlights include unique, 20-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso high-performance tires, and Saleen S281 Supercharged fender badging.