In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Steve Saleen — racing legend, car builder, and the man behind some of the most iconic American performance cars ever made.
From selling his house to go racing… to building the original Saleen Mustang… to secretly engineering the Dodge Viper and manufacturing the 2005 Ford GT, Steve shares stories few have ever heard — including the rise and collapse of his $2 billion China venture, complete with a hostile takeover and 500 stolen patents.
This is the untold story of America’s Supercar pioneer, told in Steve’s own words.
Chapters:
0:00 How Far Would You Go to Chase a Dream?
1:50 Welcoming Racing Legend Steve Saleen
3:56 Growing Up in Southern California Car Culture
4:54 The 1956 Porsche That Started It All
6:26 Why He Sold His Porsche for a Shelby Mustang
8:03 My First Shelby: The "Cobra Kai" Car & 4-Foot Flames
11:20 The Near-Fatal Crash: "I Went Off a 200ft Cliff"
16:33 The Hard Lesson & Building a Race Car from a $300 Shell
17:53 My First Race: "The Worst Possible Thing Happened... I Won"
20:23 I Sold My House to Buy a Formula Atlantic Race Car
24:28 The Pivot: From Pro Racer to Car Builder
26:28 Ford’s SVO Plan & Why "America Wants a V8"
30:11 The Original Saleen Business Plan: Fund Racing
32:19 My Sister Funded the First Saleen Mustang
36:03 Debut Race: A Corvette Landed On My Hood
40:09 The Genius Move: Selling WITH a Full Ford Warranty
45:04 How the Ford Probe Almost Replaced the Mustang
48:03 The Saleen SC & The Pain of EPA Certification
52:04 The Big Secret: Steve Saleen Built the Dodge Viper
53:01 Surprise #2: Saleen Built the 2005 Ford GT
56:42 Creating the Saleen S7 Supercar
59:49 How the S7 Was Designed: No Clay, Straight to Carbon Fiber
1:02:23 How the S7 Won Saleen the Ford GT Contract
1:06:15 The Ford GT Engine Debate: V10 vs. Supercharged V8
1:08:23 Manufacturing the Ford GT with the UAW
1:11:22 Ford GT Pricing: I Wanted $200k, Ford Said $129k
1:15:41 The China Venture: Building a Global Car Company
1:18:49 The 850-Acre, 500,000-Car/Year Factory
1:21:21 The Global Plan: EV, SUV, and the Saleen S1
1:24:26 The Perfect Storm: How the China Deal Imploded
1:25:21 Hostile Takeover: "They Sent in Armed Troops"
1:27:31 The Aftermath: $2B Lawsuit & 500 Stolen Patents
1:31:39 What Is Saleen Doing Today?
1:33:04 The New Saleen Mustang & Truck Lineup
1:37:46 What's Next: The Saleen S1 and S11 Supercar
1:39:08 Curating the "Birth of the American Supercar" Exhibit
1:47:48 "American Idol" for a Car: Fans Vote on the S11 Design
1:50:00 Collector Talk: The 2005 Ford GT's Value
1:55:46 The Three Events That Defined Steve Saleen
#SteveSaleen #FordGT #SaleenS7 #DodgeViper #SaleenMustang #MotoManPodcast #AmericanSupercar
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