1989 Ford Mustang Saleen SSC Garage Queen Heads to Auction

Every couple of years, we see these 1989 Ford Mustang Saleen SSCs pop up for sale, but this one is the best kept yet.

Barrett-Jackson’s auction listing notes this limited Saleen Foxbody was stored in a climate controlled clean environment. Perhaps the only downside is that with just an amazing original 661 miles, reliability could be a concern after not being driven routinely through the decades. But she still looks well maintained. Your specialist could likely retool it into a thoroughbred workhorse in short order.

Surprisingly the ratio of Foxbody Mustangs to the number of special editions is tremendously low — unlike cars today, with three-year model lives and seemingly special editions happening almost every year. But this is a rare edition Foxbody Mustang, and should fair well in a marketplace flush with new enthusiasts.

Legend has it FoMoCo never produced a 25th Anniversary Mustang, so ex-Ford racer and modifier Steve Saleen capitalized on the opportunity. A short run of less than 200 models enticed those who invested, many of whom chose to sit on the opportunity for future gains, instead of riding the rowdy pony in its heyday. They predicted Saleen’s success, as he has now become one of few Ford OEM authorized tuners. However this model’s future is still to be written. In a former for sale ad, they were asking for close to $40K, which will buy a nice new Mustangs today — but not a Saleen.

Saleen’s mods to this baby include more performance oriented parts, like a revised throttle body, intake, valve train, cooling system, and beefy headers. All in all, gains are upwards of 67 HP and 25 lb-ft of torque for the 5.0L V8 engine. Jetting through a Borg-Warner 5-speed manual, it cycles out a meaty Auburn 3.55 final drive. Soaking up the track imperfections are a four-corner set of Monroe shocks and Racecraft coils with SVO discs.

So, who’s ready to drive back home from Connecticut with this little racing pony?

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Via [Barrett-Jackson, Jalopnik]