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"There is only one Saleen" says Steve Saleen as he takes action to protect his name

Orange County, California. (July 17, 2009) Steve Saleen and his company, Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercars, announced today that they have filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court in California, seeking an order directing MJ Acquisitions, Inc. to cease and desist from promoting their products under the Saleen name in any form. Concurrently, Mr. Saleen is also seeking additional, related remedies from the company that formerly carried his name. This action is an additional move to continue to protect the name, reputation and brand value of Steve Saleen, and to reassure his loyal customers, dealers and car enthusiasts that only Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercar performance vehicles and products are genuine and deserving to carry his name.

Steve Saleen ceded control of the company he founded, Saleen, Inc., in 2003 and left it completely in the spring of 2007 without any further management association. The non-enthusiast corporate executives sold a number of assets to a company by the name of MJ Acquisitions, Inc., changed the company’s name, and in early 2009 ceased operations altogether.

True Steve Saleen performance vehicles again available in the market

After having left his previous company, Mr. Saleen started Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercars in 2008 and unveiled his newest creation, the SMS 570 Challenger, in January of this year. After having participated in the 2009 National Automobile Dealers Association show as part of the official Chrysler Group display, Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercars successfully launched the SMS 570X Challenger and the new SMS 296 Supercharger at the New York International Auto Show in April of 2009, where many media ranked them among the stars of the show. Steve Saleen’s SMS 460 and 460X Mustangs were announced at the 45th Mustang Anniversary show in Alabama in April, with more info and images to be released this weekend at the Mustangs Northwest Roundup in Seattle and during the 2009 Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach starting Monday, July 20.

Steve Saleen steps up and protects his brand, name, reputation and customers “SMS Supercars is the new Saleen,” says Mr. Saleen

In April 2009, Steve Saleen announced support for his customers and dealers affected negatively by the demise of the company that long carried his name. In a statement issued in April, he said: “The company I launched a long time ago announced it will no longer honor its product warranties, nor will the acquiring company for those assets, MJ Acquisitions, Inc. This kind of ‘customer treatment’ damages my reputation, misleads customers and cannot be left unaddressed.” Steve Saleen announced that SMS Supercars would guarantee the warranties that MJ Acquisitions abandoned.

Mr. Saleen went on to say: “It amuses me that faceless executives and wannabes are trying to misrepresent themselves as some kind of continuation of Saleen, which they are not. SMS Supercars is the true Saleen. It is the only company I endorse, the only company entitled to use my name and legacy, and the only company that carries my signature on its products, because they are my products. The legal action we have undertaken today will emphasize once and for all that the only genuine Saleen products are mine.

"There is only one Saleen" Steve Saleen told SOEC today in an exclusive interview, making clear that MJ Acquisitions only bought certain assets -- and once Hancock Park Associates, then majority owner of Saleen Inc, shut down the company; the company ceased to exist, and the use of the name reverted back to Mr. Saleen. Mr. Saleen also clarified that he never had a non-compete clause when he left the company in 2007.

More on this story will continue to unfold, but the future for the owners and enthusiasts looks bright.

SOEC, founded in 1991, is the premiere organization for Saleen owners and enthusiasts, with thousands of members worldwide.


Source: SMS Supercars and Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club

Exclusive portions of story © Copyright 2009 Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club
Freely distribute with proper credits
Link to this story at: The Saleen Forums at soec.org

S281 E

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I'm not sure how much of a case he has, but when he left the company he should have taken his name. It didn't feel right having Steve start SMS and still have the Saleen name out there.

david01130

sounds like MJ Acquisitions is F'ed over

S281 E

I'm sure MJ not going to "give" him his name back without a fight.

david01130

there will probably be some court issues since there is a lawsuit. Im not sure how you can sell a company with your name on it and then expect them to change the name? Steven Saleen confuses me sometimes. I think he is going through a mid life crisis. Similar to what caroll shelby did with his name.

S281 E

LOL...seems like every article I read about the new mustang says "only company with the right to bear his name..."

scspeedster

Here's a little bit of the other side of the story -
http://www.autoweek.com/article/2009...NEWS/907209990

I guess time will tell - or in this case, the courts.

eviligloo

...I wonder if covering the warranties was just a stratagem to get the naming rights back. Seeing as MJ was not covering the warranties but yet trying to "continue" the saleen brand....this should get interesting.

Thanks for posting that article, charlie!

Red_Devil

You have to serve someone to sue them, and they havent... more Steve Saleen smoke and mirrors...

S281 E

^+1 good point.