So much retro goodness makes this video great.
With the future of the Ford Mustang secured after forces inside Ford tried to make it what we now know as the Probe, Blue Oval muscle car fans were blessed with the Mustang SN95. Considering the kinds of Mustangs put out by Ford today, they’re not as impressive as they were back then. But the Saleen S351 has been remembered with more fondness. Ford rightfully was excited about this car and wanted to let everyone know it. Check out this commercial for a brief refresher on the car.
Oh the 1990s, a time when cinematography for car commercials just had to include a guy walking into a barn located in a desert for reasons we’ll never fully understand. At least this time Ford and Saleen didn’t go with some grizzled cowboy who then transforms into some male model, then dons a race suit and helmet, because such things were done far too often back then. Still, the cheese factor is pretty high.
The Ford Mustang Saleen S351was a big improvement over even the mighty Mustang GT back then, which put out a measly 215-horsepower. The special edition muscle car pumped things up and made the Mustang relevant against the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and Pontiac Trans Am, helping to rescue Ford’s image. It had a Racecraft suspension, 18-inch wheels, a nice body kit, and a supercharged V8 with 371-horsepower on tap. Fun fact: that 351ci V8 is the same one used in the first generation of the Ford Lightning.
Saleen didn’t stop there, dialing the S351 up to 495-horsepower by the 1999 model year. Eventually models from Saleen faded but didn’t disappear as the SVT Cobras, Cobra R, and Terminator started stealing the spotlight, but for a time it was Saleen which really carried the glory of Ford Performance, weirdly enough, and so for that Ford fans should be grateful.
