This incredible muscle car – the 2007 Ford Saleen Mustang Parnelli Jones 302 is set for sale at RK Motors Charlotte and here we present you the description and hi-res image gallery of this baby!
The biggest name in hot rod Mustangs for the past 20 years was Saleen Incorporated. By offering limited edition, high performance turnkey sports cars, Steve Saleen took his company from a garage bay tuner to a highly respected OEM level manufacturer. And as one of only 500 cars produced to honor legendary Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, this spotless 2007 Parnelli Jones 302 is perhaps his coolest creation. Painted in Grabber Orange, outfitted with one of the most complete and cohesive performance packages ever produced and showing a mere 40 showroom shuffling miles, this 2007 Saleen is quite possibly the last essentially new car of its kind. If you’re a savvy car collector who is looking for the opportunity to own a red hot future collector’s item that is an absolute thrill to drive, here’s your chance! Read more – see the hi-res gallery!
The cars original dealership sticker is still adhered to its passenger’s side window and lists the following Saleen equipment:
SALEEN BASE COMPONENTS:
Saleen/Parnelli Jones high compression 3-valve 5.0 liter 302 cubic inch V8 with 400hp and 390lb./ft. of torque
Saleen PowerFlash performance calibration
Saleen 2.5 inch performance dual exhaust with dual stainless steel tips
Saleen power pulleys and SFI approved damper
Saleen design shaker hood with hi-flow inlet tube, air box cover and Saleen performance air filter
Saleen forged aluminum pistons
Saleen forged steel connecting rods
Saleen ported aluminum cylinder heads with performance springs
Saleen performance camshaft
DRIVETRAIN:
Saleen 5-speed manual transmission with Saleen close ratio shifter
Saleen lightweight aluminum flywheel
Saleen 8.8 inch differential with 3.73 gears
EXTERIOR:
Limited Edition exclusive Grabber Orange paint with black hood stripe, black side stripe and black decklid
Limited Edition injection molded TPO front fascia with race inspired air dam
Limited Edition hood pins
Limited Edition chrome trim front and rear
Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition injection molded TPO side skirts
Limited Edition injection molded TPO rear fascia
Limited Edition injection molded TPO quarter window panels
Limited Edition “1970” replica wing
Limited Edition rear window sports slats
Racing inspired billet aluminum fuel door
Limited Edition reusable static cling race and name decals
Limited Edition badging
Limited Edition “1970” championship wreath
Saleen design aluminum shaker hood
Saleen integrated front turn signals
Saleen design center rear body panel
CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION:
Saleen Racecraft suspension system
Saleen specific-rate front and rear springs
Macpherson strut with lower control arm
Saleen front struts with Saleen linear-rate coil over springs
Front 1.38 inch tubular stabilizer (anti-roll bar) with urethane pivot bushings
Rear .945 inch stabilizer (anti-roll) bar
Specifically calibrated suspension settings
Three link live rear axle plus Saleen Competition Watt’s Link
Direct-acting linear rate coil springs and N2 shocks
BRAKING SYSTEM:
Saleen 14 inch slotted and vented front disc brake system with Saleen 4 piston calipers
WHEELS AND TIRES:
19 inch Saleen Mini-lite inspired aluminum wheels with Limited Edition center caps
Pirelli extreme performance tires
Saleen tire pressure monitoring system
Saleen valve stem caps
INTERIOR:
Limited Edition orange and black leather sports seats with badging
Limited Edition instrument cluster with 180 MPH black faced gauges
Limited Edition gauge pod with oil pressure and temp gauge
Limited Edition floor mats, shift knob, steering wheel emblem and sill plates
Limited Edition performance driving pedals
Limited Edition graphics, badging and serialized number
Limited Edition console plaque and serialized engine bay plaque
Saleen/Parnelli Jones key fob and Saleen Eagle One detail kit
Original signatures on center dash panel
SALEEN MSRP: $60,565
According to Steve Saleen, the Parnelli Jones 302 was designed to capture the raw, aggressive attitude with which Parnelli raced; therefore, you could order any color car you wanted so long as it was Grabber Orange. Naturally, since this is an essentially new car, the paint looks simply amazing and has barely even seen sunlight, much less rain or inclement weather. Get up close to the panels and you’ll find a sea of pristine, wet looking orange paint that doesn’t display any of the buff marks, blemishes and haze that are typical of even expertly detailed show cars. Fit and finish is exceptional, thanks to the largely hand-built nature of the custom Saleen add-ons. And despite performing everyday tasks as flawlessly as a stock Mustang, the car has been completely re-envisioned to incorporate many subtle tweaks which recall the glory days of Trans Am racing.
To create that road ready, Trans Am racer appearance, Saleen equipped the Parnelli Jones 302 with every cosmetic trick in their book. At the front of the car, a re-designed front bumper cover hangs a chrome trimmed grille and injection molded headlight dividers above a black serial number and racing style air dam. Behind that bumper, a black striped and fully functional shaker hood holds race derived hood pins, which still carry their factory plastic covers, in front of excellent looking satin finished “S302” emblems. At the sides of the car, ornamentation is kept to a minimum with black 302 side stripes, a Saleen branded billet racing style gas cap and static cling door roundels, which feature Parnellis legendary number 15, providing the only breaks in the cars paint. And Fords classic Mustang profile is augmented by aggressive Saleen side skirts and throwback C-pillar vents which recall classic Shelbys of the 1960s. At the back of the car, a louvered, satin black rear window visor sits above a traditional Saleen championship decal, and a satin black trunk deck props a clean ’70 Boss replica wing. Below that wing, a custom chrome trimmed rear valence displays both a custom Saleen Parnelli Jones emblem and a traditional Ford emblem, and a custom rear bumper weaves a black splitter around pristine stainless exhaust tips.
Lift Parnelli Jones #87s custom shaker hood and you’ll find a crisp new 302 cubic inch Saleen built SOHC three valve V8 which produces an SAE certified 400 horsepower and 390 lb./ft. of torque. Equipped with a high compression, high revving valve train, this blue printed small block V8 utilizes a lightweight aluminum flywheel, a Saleen spec forged and internally balanced American crank, forged 4340 H-beam American rods, forged pistons, hand ported heads, Saleen spec Comp Cams with matching valve springs, Saleen spec variable cam timing and a Saleen PowerFlash tune to provide thrilling acceleration all the way up to its 7000 RPM redline. The hand assembled block sees a bump in displacement thanks to an increased stroke and little details like bore honing, a billet harmonic balancer, Saleen pulleys, new cylinder head bolts and Fel-Pro gaskets ensure the OEM reliability that goes hand in hand with a new car. What that means for you is a rocket-like sprint to triple digit speeds from an engine that never seems to feel like it’s out of breath. And, like the legendary Trans Am Fords it honors, this car doesn’t carry the imbalanced weight and mechanical stigma of having a big engine shoehorned into a tight engine bay. The pristine small block fits naturally between the cars glossy Grabber Orange fenders and presents a factory fresh appearance with no grease or renegade fluids anywhere to be found. It’s exceptionally clean, nothing is out of place and there is absolutely no dirt or other signs of wear and tear.
In keeping with both Steve Saleen and Parnelli Jones race ancestry, this limited edition Mustang was designed utilizing Saleens own precision suspension. The all new, yet classic Watts-Link suspension is derived from racing and performance applications, and offers the purest race handling found in any OEM street car. Behind small block engine, a rugged Tremec 5-speed manual transmission drives a tall 3.73 rear end, which makes for some spectacular wheel spin in first and second gear, and astounding acceleration when you get the launch just right. Years ago, Saleens were criticized for their harsh ride, but those days are long gone. Taking advantage of the new Mustang’s more rigid Macpherson front and 3 link rear chassis, Saleen engineers carefully chose springs, shocks, and sway bars that improve responsiveness without sacrificing ride quality. In fact, this may be the greatest improvement granted by the new Mustang platform: the ability to corner and handle like a thoroughbred without the hammering of previous performance suspensions. Exhaust is expelled through a traditional Saleen stainless steel system that provides their legacy low resonating sound. And braking is handled by “Saleen” branded four piston front calipers which clamp large slotted rotors and OEM Ford rear calipers which squeeze original factory rotors. At the corners, 19 inch Mini-lite style racing wheels feature cool Saleen/Parnelli Jones center caps and wear red labeled 275/35 front and 275/40 rear Pirelli P-Zero performance radials.
Inside, Saleen makes the Ford interior its own with leather upholstery and plenty of signage. The brand new leather seats have been fitted with bright Grabber Orange inserts, orange stitching and centered Parnelli Jones emblems, and the ornate Mustang dash houses a Saleen vintage instrumentation panel which displays “Saleen Parnelli Jones Edition” scripts among white letters on black backgrounds. At the center of the dash, an integrated twin gauge pod which displays oil pressure and temperature sits above both Steve Saleen and Parnelli Jones autographs. In front of the driver, a traditional Mustang steering wheel has been fitted with a “Saleen Parnelli Jones Edition” emblem, and in front of the passenger, a Bud Moore autograph sits above the cars serialized Limited Edition dash plaque. Between the seats, a traditional Ford console holds a Saleen Quick Shifter that’s complete with a custom satin finished Parnelli Jones shift knob. And above the seats, a tight headliner is stretched above visors which are still sealed in their factory plastic. Of course all the usual power windows, locks, and other Mustang GT items are on hand, and a slick set of clean Saleen sill plates welcome passengers to the new smelling interior.
Included with this sale is the cars original, pristine window sticker, all of its original books and manuals, its original floor mats which are still in plastic, its original air compressor that is still in plastic and an original, unopened Eagle One detailing kit.
With Saleen now relegated to memory, many feel that their 2007 cars will be highly sought after by collectors now, and in the future. This Parnelli Jones 302 is the ultimate Saleen when it comes to total driving experience, and with only 40 miles of drive time, it’s an essentially brand new piece of Mustang and Saleen history. Don’t miss this opportunity to acquire what may very well be the coolest Mustang ever built!
