The Saleen brand has long been associated with building some of the most sought-after Ford Mustangs ever made. When the first examples showed up, they were a bit more restrained in terms of upgrades compared to the modern-day offerings, but these early Fox bodies were still very distinctive compared the standard production model. This 1986 Saleen has under 17,000 original miles and presents like a new car; accordingly, it’s being bid that way as well. It’s listed here on eBay to just over $31,000 with the reserve unmet.
Of all the Saleen Mustangs, the first generation model is my personal favorite. These cars epitomized what competition cars and European tuner vehicles looked like in the 1980s. The gold wheels, decal stripes, rear deck lid spoiler, ground effects, and other details were all par the course if you were building a car to compete in a European racing series or simply modifying your Mercedes-Benz sedan to look as gangster as possible. The Saleen wore its modifications perfectly, with the Fox body seemingly an ideal canvas for the aero enhancements made by Saleen Autosport at the time.
The Saleen package at this juncture, however, was not about big power upgrades. Instead, it focused more on chassis enhancements to make the Saleen a sharper-handling vehicle, while relying on the familiar 302 V8 to provide thrust. Aerodynamics also played a role, with the body enhancements all serving to make the Ford’s shape as slippery as possible while providing added downforce. Articulated bucket seats provided plenty of lateral support, while a three-spoke MOMO steering wheel, a Hurst quick-ratio shifter, and an Escort radar detector system rounded out the interior upgrades.
As mentioned, the biggest performance gains were felt in the chassis, with the Saleen receiving a Racecraft suspension consisting of Koni adjustable shocks, urethane sway bar bushings, a shock tower brace, unique coil springs, and special strut mount bearings. In addition, a slick set of gold Riken alloy wheels were installed with sticky tires. All of these features combine to make for an exceptionally responsive driving experience. While many of you likely prefer the big horsepower models built by Saleen, I love the touring car-inspired style of the ’86 and the emphasis placed on making the car handle as well as possible.
Stunning. Good write-up Lavery.
This may be one of the finest ones to own. That top shelf suspension work, car must handle beautifully.
Plenty of punch w the 302, 5sp, 3.08 gear ⚙️ wonder if the owner tested those aerodynamic modifications at high-speed, on the European byways. Beautiful wheels. I didn’t know Saleen did the treatment on the 4eyed foxes. Love it.
Good job Jeff. These were an excellent package, with their targeted upgrades and attractive visual mods. They have a following today. Nice ones like this go for solid money.
Saleen is still doing upgraded Mustangs.
I have to respect Saleen for what he does with the Mustang, even though this early model is mostly suspension and appearance mods. Speaking of which, for a brief second when I saw the front end aero treatment I saw a J body Buick Skyhawk. Woof. Beautiful car though way to rich for my blood.
’85/’86…the best years to own. One of my best friends in Northern Virginia owned an ’85 in this same color combo. Extremely rare to see, even then. His is still out there, currently owned by a collector.
Great looking car that seems to be in nice condition. Looks like it’s moving when parked.
I had a ’85 Saleen, white with blue stripes & white rims, which was the last year Mustang used carburetors. Fun car to drive, very quick. Wish I still had it today.
These are the better looking of the so-called “Fox” Mustangs. Ford got a lot of mileage out of that platform, from the lowly Fairmont to the Mustang and many intermediate sized Ford and Mercury products, down through the years. With its rear axle setup, the Mustang used the Fox platform for far too many years.
Stationed over in Germany mid 90’s, my buddy had one just like this. Caged, full hard core suspension. The round-abouts were comical. That car was loud and fast. Wonder what ever happened to that dude.
I am surprised Saleen stuck with the 4 bolt wheels. Ford even upgraded to 5 bolts on their V8 models.
Sorry Goz, not on any fox bodies. Maybe save for the last yr awesome Cobra model.
They did on the 84-86 SVO’s, but that’s it.
Steve R
Didn’t know the fox body had 4 stud wheels, thanks for educationing me. Not a good thing with a 302.
Late ’60s novas with 6 & even 4 cyl motors had 5 stud wheels & even staggered rear shocks! Go figure.
Why this expensive premium stang has an ancient hood prop rod, & my homely cheap late ’60s falcon had proper hood springs is beyond me.
They did just fine.
No hood springs shaved weight off! Faster 1/4 times!!
Options available on this car like p/w, a/c, the factory radio, console & back seat weigh lot more than hood springs – & besides, the replacement prop rod has to be quite robust to hold up the hood – the hood on mom’s ’60 comet was heavy as hell! lol
& BTW, the dumb prop rod also was found on my falcon’s successor – the maverick. I think Ford & others just cheaped out.