Despite Saleen Performance Vehicle’s retraction from the Mustang-tuner marketplace, the latest creation to wear the Shelby name does not signify that the Mustang tuner monopolizes the marketplace or that it wants to sit back and dabble in other projects. It still has to worry about the real Saleen—Steve Saleen and his company SMS Supercars. But that won’t stop Shelby from working with a well-known bicycle manufacturer to offer a limited edition beach cruiser that will wear Carroll Shelby’s signature.

Felt Bicycles has announced a licensing agreement with Carroll Shelby to build a limited-edition beach cruise dubbed the Shelby Cruiser. Each bike wears “blue dot” tires designed to resemble automotive racing tires and the infamous Wimbledon White and Guardsman Blue colors. The Shelby Cruiser will be available through Felt Bicycles for $999.

Follow the jump for the press release.

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In 1999, the duPont REGISTRY held a survey where it asked its subscribers and the visitors to its web site to pick the 10 best cars of the century. Using those opinions, along with the picks from a number of notable persons like Mario Andretti, Don Panoz, Carroll Shelby, and Reggie Jackson, it compiled a list of the Top 100 Cars of the Century and dedicated a special book to its cause (in a way it was the precursor to our annual editorial-based Exotic Car Buyers Guide). The book hit newsstands before the turn of the century and was a great success. Today we are going to take a look back at that list and reminisce on what cars were picked and why and compare it to how those cars would probably rank exactly 10 years later.

Taking the number one spot on our top 100 list was the Lamborghini Diablo. Unveiled in production trim in Monte Carlo in January 1990, the Diablo was in its ninth year and still being produced at the time the book was written. We praised the “devil” for its “staggering 530 bhp from the…5.7-liter V-12,” and “0-60 mph acceleration under 4 seconds.” In the review we wrote “Lamborghini is rumored to be working on the next generation supercar. Though it’s hard to believe, they will create an automobile that will surpass our number one car in speed, power, and aerodynamic style.” Of course none of us knew the Lamborghini Murciélago was going to be so fast and so powerful and garnish as much admiration from the motoring public with its stout 580-hp 6.2-liter V-12 engine as it did. However, looking back, we can’t help but think that if a Lamborghini were to make the top ten list, shouldn’t it be the Lamborghini Countach? A model that has influenced the styling of all the company’s cars for the past 40 years.

Continue our look back at the top 100 cars of the last 100 years.

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Designer of the Saleen S7, Phil Frank, is celebrating his crowning achievement: The #50 Saleen S7R campaigned by Larbre Competition won the last GT1 classification race held at the 78th running of 24 hours of Le Mans.

“This is very proud moment for me," said Phil Frank, "ten years ago I had just completed my design work on the S7. I had been providing design consulting for Saleen for about seven years at the time, including two generations of Saleen Mustangs, a Saleen Explorer, a Saleen Focus, and the Saleen SR Mustang race car. The later was the precursor to the S7, as it took more time to convert a Mustang into a true competition car than to start from a clean sheet of paper. And thus my design and development work began.”

Phil explains, “December 19, 1999, Portland, Oregon, the design work for the S7 officially began in my humble basement studio of my home. At the time I was employed by Nike Equipment as a watch designer, so my S7 design work took place during my second shift, from 9 p.m. to 1, 2, or even 3  a.m., I knew it was time to sleep when the RML engineers in England responded instantly to my emails!”

Phil continues, “For the next four months I pioneered and completed the first complete digital development of the body and interior of a production car, if you can believe it using Rhinoceros3D 1.0! We went from 3-D data to production surfaces with just one 1:5 scale CNC model in between.”

August 19, 2000 the S7 debuted at Pebble Beach, just eight short months after the initial sketches were put to paper; an amazing achievement. The S7R race version was introduced shortly afterwards in 2001, where it went on to win all four of the Championships in which it competed that year including: the driver's championship of the American and European LeMans Series', the American Grand Am Series, and the FIA GT Championship.

Says Steve Saleen: "The Saleen S7R is the most successful racing car ever to come out of the United States. After having won at virtually every major race track in the world, the win at LeMans represents the crown of motor racing. The almost entirely trouble-free race for the Saleen S7R underlines the excellence of this almost ten year old design."

Photos Courtesy of Phil Frank Design

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Steve Saleen unveiled his company’s newest creation, the SMS 302, this past weekend to the automotive public. By massaging the 5.0-liter V-8 found under the hood of the 2011 Ford Mustang GT, the folks at Steve Mark Saleen (SMS) Supercars have been able to fabricate a bit more power out of the ionic-sized engine, or 440 hp and 400 lbs.-ft. of torque. Adding a little more oxygen to the fire by way of a SMS 296 supercharger system will increase the total output to 535 hp and 450 lbs.-ft. of torque in the SMS 302 SC. Both the SMS 302 and SMS 302 SC will be available in both coupe and convertible forms and both will be available with either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual.

Beyond the engine mods, SMS has completely revamped the suspension with its own bits and added a complete bodykit. Base prices range from $54,990 for the 302 coupe to $69,990 for the 302 SC convertible. Read the SMS 302 SC overview here.

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First came the SMS 460, based off the Ford Mustang, and then the SMS 570, based off the Dodge Challenger, and now, to complete the muscle-car trio, we have the SMS 620 based off the Chevrolet Camaro. Unveiled at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, the SMS 620 boasts a new hood with butterfly dual-side induction, more-sculpted side skirts, and a revised front apron.

Underneath that new hood is the same 6.2-liter V-8 found in the V-8-equipped car, supercharged to make 575 hp and 600 lbs.-ft. of torque. Opt for the more powerful 620X model and power goes up to a staggering 715 hp and 700 lbs.-ft. of torque. The former is capable of zero-to-60 mph in 4.3 seconds while the latter can cut that time to less than four seconds.

The 620X will also boast Magneto-Rheological Semi-Active Dampers and 21-inch rear wheels. Both models come with increased stopping power via 16-inch rotors being clamped by 8 pistons in the front and 14-inch rotors pinched by 6 pistons in the rear.

[via SMS Supercars]

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Steve Saleen is putting on his annual SMS Car Show and open house in Corona, California, on Saturday, September 12, 2009, between 10 AM–4 PM. The show is designed to celebrate Saleen tuning and is offering a vast variety of classes—from the 2003–2008 Saleen S7 to the 1984–1986 Mustang SVO—for owners to enter their cars in. Day-of-the-show entry fee is $35. For more information, click here to view its flyer.

[via Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club]

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The 435S carries the Saleen name but is not a product vouched for by the man behind that well-known moniker, Steve Mark Saleen. The Saleen designation is now carried by MJ Acquisitions and the 435S is a product of the new owners of the Saleen name but still under the expertise of the people that make up Saleen Performance Vehicles.

As you may remember, Steve Saleen has gone on to create a new company, SMS Supercars, and is currently in a legal dispute with MJ Acquisitions over the use of the Saleen nameplate.

The 435S is powered by a 4.6-liter supercharged V-8 making 435 hp and 425 lbs.-ft. of torque and connected to a new short-throw 5-speed manual transmission. The car uses a Racecraft suspension, which lowers the car by 1.5 inches and improves handling. A body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels have also been added.

[via MotorAuthority]

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Steve Saleen has filed a lawsuit against MJ Acquisitions to stop the company from selling its Saleen Inc. assets to a new company that plans to modify cars under the Saleen name.  In the lawsuit, Steve asserts that the Saleen name was not transferable to any other buyers besides the initial purchasers.

"It amuses me that faceless executives and wannabes are trying to misrepresent themselves as some kind of continuation of Saleen, which they are not," Steve Saleen said in the statement. "SMS Supercars is the true Saleen. It is the only company that 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."

As you may recall, Steve Saleen first sold the assets to Saleen Inc. to a group of investors nearly two years ago. Shortly after Saleen walked away from the business and left it to his investors, the assets of Saleen Inc. were sold to MJ Acquisitions. Some news was made when MJ Acquisitions decided to no longer honor existing warranties and Steve Saleen’s new company, SMS Supercars, declared that they would be covering the warranties despite having no legal obligation to do so.

[via Motor Trend]

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To celebrate 45 years of Mustangs and 25 years of tinkering with them, SMS has unveiled the 460 and 460X, which will be based off the 2010 Ford Mustang. The 460’s 4.6-liter V-8 will develop 470 hp and 427 lbs.-ft. of torque and pass that power through either a five-speed automatic or manual. The 460X’s engine grows to 5.0 liters and acquires a supercharger to produce a less-pedestrian 655 hp and 600 lbs.-ft. of torque. The 460X will only be available with a six-speed manual.

[via SMS]

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Steve Saleen and his new company, SMS supercars, will be honoring the warranties of Saleen Inc. despite having left the company two years ago. Saleen said he will be covering any warranties for any Saleen Inc. product purchased on or before Febuary 2, 2009.

“The ones who have been left out in the cold are the loyal customers of Saleen products. While my new company, SMS Supercars, has no legal or moral obligation to take up any of the warranty claims against Saleen, Inc. or MJ Acquisitions, Inc., I would like to make a bold statement on the right way to treat customers.”

Steve Saleen retired from Saleen Inc. in 2007. Hancock Park LLC, which owned a large share of the company, sold a majority share of the company’s assets to MJ Acquisitions earlier this year. MJ Acquistions has since stated they will not be honoring any warranties of the old company.

“I was saddened about the way the current owners of the proud company I founded, and which held onto my name after my departure two years ago, have now dealt with my loyal and longtime customers.” said Saleen.

[via MustangBlog]

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