There was an interesting article today in the LA Times about Saleen opening a
plant in Detroit (Saleen is making the new GT40 for Ford). Here is a bit of
the article:
But the move "has some interesting prospects beyond that," Brown continued.
"If the relationship does well through the GT contract, then I'd expect Ford
to look for other opportunities for low-volume, high-profile vehicles that
could be outsourced and built under contract," he said. "And there's no reason
to expect that Saleen wouldn't be the front-runner for that continued
business."
Indeed, Ford already is showing a possible successor to the limited-production
GT, which is scheduled to be built through the 2007 model year. The next Ford
exotic car is likely to be a modern version of the Shelby Cobra, insiders
say.
(Saleen's principal product is a line of extensively redesigned and rebuilt
Mustangs based on the Ford platform and sold through Ford dealers; a
high-performance Saleen Mustang can cost $35,000 to $65,000, versus $18,000 to
$35,000 for Mustangs that roll directly out of Ford's factories.)
Under its contract with Ford, Saleen's Michigan plant not only will assemble
and paint the GT - a car sought by enthusiasts and collectors including
"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, who took delivery of his early production model
last week - but also will build other prototypes and concept cars for Ford.
After the assembly of bodies and chassis at Troy, the GTs will be transferred
to a Ford-owned plant in nearby Wixom, Mich., for installation of the high-
performance Ford engine. That will enable the automaker to say final assembly
was done by Ford and its union workers rather than by a nonunion contractor.
Ford President Nick Scheele has said the company expects to sell 1,500 GTs a
year for the next three years. A new exotic car, possibly an updated version
of the Shelby Cobra, is expected to replace the GT in 2008.
Jay Leno (one time Tiger owner) took delivery of a GT40 which will be replaced
by an updated version of a Shelby Cobra, aka 'the poor man's GT40'. What
would be next the 'poor man's Cobra'?
What would sound better- 'Saleen Tiger 302' or 'Ford Tiger 302'?
Bob
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