The teasing continues. The marketing and PR people up in Dearborn know you are waiting with baited breath to see the new 2010 Mustang. So we are being treated to weekly drips of dream.

Today they ask us if we are curious about what the 2010 Ford Mustang looks like? They say the new pony badge offers a clue. Like the upcoming restyled Mustang, the new pony is more defined, more muscular and sure to catch the eye of Mustang enthusiasts.

“It’s just a faster-looking steed,” said George Saridakis, Design manager for the 2010 Mustang.

A stronger, more dynamic pony badge with defined edges and crisper forms in a subtly toned tinted-chrome finish will charge across the grilles of the V-6 and GT versions of the 2010 Mustang. For the first time, a black-chrome version of the Mustang pony badge will accent the new GT grille.

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For 2009 Saleen Inc. will be scaling back it’s limited editions to more of the upscale variety for reasons unknown but one that pops into my mind is the limited production run of 2009 Ford Mustangs which is estimated at just 45K units. Also with Saleen’s/ASC’s recent auction of misc. stuff it seems they are gearing up for the 2010 Mustang as well.

“The campaign for the year is titled ‘the Pinnacle,’ as we intend to solidify Saleen’s position as the leader in exclusive performance vehicles,” says Marques McCammon, General manager at Saleen Automotive. “My vision is to move the brand up with more exclusivity in every model, with fewer, more substantive offerings.”

Also for 2009 Saleen will introduce a new wheel (picture above), some new exterior details, and each model will have its very own interior treatment. In addition to a offering a unique interior, the new S302 Supercharged will also be offering 580-horsepower in S-line dress.

Other changes for 2009 include the Heritage models being limited to just two special editions, including a continuation of the Dan Gurney model and a ‘Super Saleen’ that is nicknamed the “WM”. What do you think the Super Saleen will pack, 600 or 700 horses, your guess is as good as mine.

Ford officially kicks off the countdown for the 2010 Mustang today by launching a new website for the car: http://www.the2010Mustang.com. The website will be Ford’s official home of the November reveal of the new Mustang, a way to keep enthusiasts “waiting on the edge of their seats”.

Mustang enthusiasts are encouraged to participate by submitting their own Mustang story in a contest that starts on August 27th. Tell a good one because you can win a brand new 2010 Mustang for your efforts. Is that cool or what?

A little over a year ago, Steve Saleen left the company that he founded to seek greener pastures. The talk was that he had been forced out by the investor group Hancock Park, who had come to own Saleen Inc. The official announcement said he was simply “retiring”. Regardless of what you believe Steve had come to a point where he was no longer part of the legacy that he himself had built. Steve continues today with his new company SMS Limited. There he is working hard to start anew building the kind of cars that made him famous, perhaps even a Mustang again.

Though Saleen Inc. had struggled off and on for a decade prior to Steve‘s departure, the company has seemingly flailed and fallen flat on its face since then. A number of watered down products have been hastily introduced that are a departure from what most feel Steve would have built, and have been met in the market with little excitement. Some very awkward press conferences have been given by new employees of the company, who seem to be overly defensive and apologetic about the brand. The company closed the Saleen Store in Irvine, shut down the Irvine factory and moved the whole company to Troy, MI. Then came the news that Saleen Inc and ASC Inc were being folded together into one company earlier this year.


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