Saleen Performance Vehicles to end vehicle production in 2011

It has been a rocky few years for Saleen Performance Vehicles (SPV), although the company has pushed through legal battles with former lead-man Steve Saleen to continue to offer new vehicles but today, SPVs parent company Revstone Industries has announced that 2011 will be the last year for the line of Saleen high performance Mustangs.

Revstone Industries has stated that the issues between Saleen Performance Vehicles and the new company of Steve Saleen, SMS Supercars, have caused too much confusion and controversy since the messy break-up between the two. For those unfamiliar with the whole saga, company founder Steve Saleen decided to break away from the Saleen brand and, not surprisingly, he expected to take his name with him. Well, the people at the original company didn’t want that to happen and a court battle ensued – surprisingly ending with Steve Saleen NOT winning the right to take his name with him so Saleen Performance Vehicles soldiered on without him and Mr. Saleen went on to start SMS Supercars.

Through all of this, Saleen Performance Vehicles and their performance part division Saleen Speedlab have pushed forward along with the evolution of the Ford Mustang, while SMS Supercars expanded the focus of their product line to include not just the Mustang, but also the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. Even though Saleen “won” the court battle with Mr. Saleen, SMS Supercars has become a regular attendee of major auto shows including Detroit and LA, with massive displays featuring all of their vehicles while Saleen Performance Vehicles has faded out of the limelight.

In light of the issues, Revstone Industries has made it official that 2011 will be the final year for the Saleen Performance Vehicles lineup, although the Saleen Speedlab will continue making high performance parts. Revstone intends to continue building high performance Mustangs in the future but there has been no indication as to what name will be used to market these vehicles. Comments included in the announcement of Saleen Performance Vehicles coming to an end does mention that they plan to “usher in a new era in American Muscle”, so perhaps Revstone plans to take SMS Supercars head to head with more than one vehicle offering…but it could be some time before we know what the future holds for SPV.

The Saleen company may have won the legal battle but it looks like Steve Saleen may have won the war.