Saleen announced a new model called the S281 RF this past Friday at its retail store in Southern California. The RF, which stands for Red Flag, focuses on overall value and is priced between Saleen's 3-valve and supercharged models with an MSRP of $49,995. Performance upgrades include Saleen's Series VI supercharger that helps the V8 put out 465 horsepower, and the suspension has been upgraded to Saleen-spec, as well. Visual differences include Saleen's front and rear fascia, side skirts, 20-inch chrome wheels, and RF graphics and badging. Inside are reupholstered leather seats with red stitching, S281 floor mats and door sills, and a 200 mph gauge cluster. Production is limited to 100, and only two colors will be available: black and alloy. Follow the jump to view the S281 RF's complete list of features.

[Source: Saleen via MustangEvolution.com]



ENGINE
281 CID (4.6L) 3-Valve SOHC V8
465 HP @ 5800 RPM
425 lb-ft TQ @ 4000 RPM
3.55" x 3.54" Bore & Stroke
39 lb/hr Fuel Injectors
98 mm MAF
Port Matched Series VI Integrated Twin-Screw Supercharger
Dual-Stage Water-to-Air Intercooler System
Hi-Flow Inlet Tube, Air Box Cover & Filter
PowerFlash™ Performance Calibration
2.5" Stainless Steel Center Exhaust System

DRIVETRAIN
5-Speed Manual Transmission
with 8.8" Differential, 3.31:1 Final Drive
RACECRAFT SUSPENSION
Linear-Rate, Coil Springs (F/R)
Sway Bars, 1.38" with HD Bushings (F), 0.79" (R)
Front Struts (N2), Rear Shocks (N2)
Three-Link, Live Rear Axle with Panhard Rod

INTERIOR
Leather Performance Driving Seats with Red Stitching,
6-Way Power Adjustable Driver's Seat & Power Lumbar
6-Gauge Instrument Cluster with 200 MPH Speedometer
& MyColor Feature
Chrome Dash Vent Bezels
Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel with Badge
Leather Shift Boot with Red Stitching
Leather-Wrapped Billet Shift Knob & Short-Throw Shifter
Performance Driving Pedals with Driver Foot Brace
Serialized Dash Plaque
S281 Floor Mats & Aluminum Door Sill Plates
Saleen Key Fob
One-Touch Up/Down Power Windows
AM/FM/CD Sound System
Two Power Outlets
Variable-Speed Windshield Wipers
Air Conditioning
Rear Window Defroster
Dual Power Side-View Mirrors
Saleen/Eagle One Detail Kit
Owner's Document Portfolio & Warranty Guide

BRAKING SYSTEM
Power Assisted 4-Wheel Disc Brakes with ABS
12.4" Vented Front Disc Brake System
11.8" Vented Rear Disc Brake

WHEELS & TIRES
20" Chrome Finished Alloy, 7-Spoke Wheels
High Performance Dunlop Tires
Tire Pressure Monitoring System

EXTERIOR
Injection Molded Thermoplastic Olefin (TPO)
Front & Rear Fascias
Injection Molded TPO Side Skirts & Door Cladding
Front Grille
Integrated Front Turn Signals
Rear Center Body Panel
Rear Spoiler & End Caps
S281 Supercharged Graphics & Identification
RF Red Saleen Windshield Graphic
RF Red Saleen Bumper Insert
RF Red Serialized Front Bumper
Serialized Engine Bay Plaque
Championship Wreath Graphic

SAFETY & SECURITY
Dual-Stage Airbags
Driver's Seat Position Sensor
Crash Severity Sensor
Lower Anchors & Tethers for Children (Latch) Safety Seats
Remote Keyless & Illuminated Entry System
3-Point Safety Belts for All Seating Positions
Side-Impact Door Beams

COLOR COMBINATIONS
Exterior Color/Graphic Color/Wheel Color
Black Clearcoat/Red/Chrome
Alloy Clearcoat Metallic/Red/Chrome

GENERAL DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES (COUPE)
Vehicle Weight: 3620 lbs
Weight Distribution: 53/47 (F/R)
Wheelbase: 107.10 in
Track: 62.8 in/63.9 in (F/R)
Width: 74.0 in
Length: 189.1 in
Height: 56.0 in
Trunk Space: 13.1 cu ft
Fuel Capacity: 15.7 gal


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I would think that this constant introduction of models like this would flood the market and take away sales from the GT500. I also think this would have the effect of getting people burned out on the Mustang.

 

It is trust me. I'm already tired of seeing my car. lol. Actually, the good thing about living where I do is that sports cars aren't seen much around here except for the summer, even then you don't see to many. Now when my wife and I went down to Florida this last week for her neck surgery, dang! They were all over the place. I'm kind of glad that I live where I do now since it isn't oversaturated here.

I do expect to see this happening with the Challenger though. I'm thinking that Chrysler/Dodge won't be brininging out all the versions that Ford has, Breast Cancer support edition and the such, but I do see a lot of third parties jumping in. That's mostly what we have been seeing on here, third party kits.

 

They are enjoying all of this business until the Challenger and Camaro comes out. If I was Ford I would be doing the same thing before competition came out.

 

Well, I think that this might be a little counter productive though. This could be having the effect of having too many models out and causing people to react the way Paladin feels about every new Mustang that comes out ("Oh great, here's another one"). The reason why I say this is, I used to be interested and slightly excited about hearing about the new models, now when I hear about another one it honestly annoys me. This could help the Camaro and Challenger by having the effect of the market segment looking for a fresh breathe of air in the segment.

If I were Ford, I would start putting some real effort and resources into the Fusion, Focus, Escape, and Taurus instead as they are hardly performing as well as they can in their segments. It is inevitable that they will lose sales to the Challenger and Camaro, no matter if the Mustang had a guarantee that you would never get in an auto accident and never get in trouble with the police for speeding. It is a bad idea to put all their resources and efforts into one model while letting all the other models remain uncompetitive and fail. That is how they got into the rut the are stuck in right now. On top of this, they need to hurry up and bring the Falcon over here. Not only would this give them the first interesting sedan they have had since the first and second gen Taurus SHO models, but it would help make any investment they put into the Mustang count even further as they are platform mates. This could also help them with economies of scale.

 

I think they'd be wise to evolve it. Again, 68 not a bad looking 'Stang, why not offer one to emulate the 70 fast back OR offer both flavors? '68 and a Fastback...makes as much sense as two completely different tauruses/tauri (how the hell is one to pluralize that word)....they kind of hit and miss all over the place.....they could also make a higher performance fusion.....but all these tweaked mustangs gets played after a while.....

Bring back the Mustang II !!!!!

 

I would love it if Ford brought back the Taurus SHO! Talk about a car with a cult following.

I had a `94 SHO and back in its day she'd keep with, and in some cases, smoke others in its segment. I've never had more problems though with any car then I did with that SHO. Rear windows not going down, moon roof not opening and closing, a complete breakdown of the electronic climate control system and on and on.... That was a big problem, but the final nail in the SHO's coffin was when Ford turned it in to something that resembled a rolling bubble on wheels and they replaced the 5-spd SHO V6 with a slushbox V8... In general though it enjoyed a helluva good run for 10 years and it would be pretty cool to see it back out there again someday.

 

I liked the SHO and the hopped up Bonneville too...thought they were tight rides.....

But how much would it suck if they used the "NEW TAURUS" to SHO-a-fy........