Typically Saleens numbered 10 and below are reserved for family, friends, and promotional vehicles, but even so, it;s impressive that Molly was able to swing the coveted number 1 serial number (naturally Daddy’s little girl gets #1) on the 2007 Saleen Mustang S281. It’s also a Saleen tradition that Mustang number 6 is skipped. That was started decades ago when that number was accidentally overlooked and not built.

For now, Molly Pop belongs strictly to Saleen S281-SC number 07-001. That’s Molly Saleen’s personal car, her daily driver as she heads to work as the store manager at The Saleen Store in the Irvine Spectrum Mall.

Along its rebirth as a Saleen Mustang, Molly’s S281-SC had all Saleen standard and optional equipment bolted on. The internally stock, or so we assume, Three-Valve V-8 was fitted with Saleen’s Series VI twin-screw supercharger and liquid intercooler, as well as Saleen’s upgraded cooling package.

The usual Saleen spring, bar, and shock suspension was hung, along with the optional Watts link covering the 3.73 geared 8.8-inch differential hosting a Saleen MaxGrip limited-slip. The MaxGrip is a different sort of beast-instead of gears or cones, it uses differential rotation of the axles to power a small oil pump, in turn powering the squeeze applied to a stack of friction plates that resemble a motorcycle or automatic transmission clutch.

Inside, the Shaker 500 sound system was upgraded with Saleen’s optional Rockford Fosgate package for some serious 150-watt, sub-thumping tunes. The car was covered with the glass Scenic Roof option. Similar to the paint, the Scenic Roof is one of those truly special perks-it’s a convertible without the wind and brightens the interior with a softened direct sunlight that really releases our endorphins. In this case, it also keeps the Molly Pop riot contained-if the roof was flaming pink, we’re sure the fashion SWAT team would show up with flat black spray cans hissing.

While you’re forgiven for not noticing due to the paint shock, Molly’s S281-SC is sporting the S281-E Extreme’s front splitter and rear diffuser to put more edge on the body lines. The chrome wheels are part of Saleen’s regular wheel and tire upgrade packages. They measure 20×9 inches in front and 20×10 inches in back. The tires are ultra-high-performance Pirelli P-Zero Rossas, 275/35ZR-20 in front and 275/40ZR-20 in back. The final option is the Saleen HID headlamps. They employ a single HID lamp and a moving shield to provide low and high beam HID illumination.

If this sounds like a lot of options, it is. In fact, Molly’s ride sports everything Saleen offers for a Mustang, short of the all-out 550hp Extreme engine. For those not keeping score, this drives the retail price to hyperventilating levels. Molly says her car would retail for “like $96,000.” Our goofing off on the Saleen Web site and clicking the option boxes in the “build” function shows something in the mid-$80,000 range. If you’re swinging in this league we’re happy for you, but this isn’t one of those ‘65 Mustang pink re-sprays Daddy used to send his girl off to college in.

Molly’s beautiful S281 is a real whip, of course, so it’s a blast to pedal, but people’s reaction can make ownership a busy experience. On the highway Molly says she gets “totally paranoid” over the squadrons of rubber-neckers and their cell phone cameras swooping around her rear quarters. She’s constantly worried they’ll drive right into her. “People hover around you on the freeway, sitting in your blind spot for 15 minutes, mouths drooping and brains freewheeling. After a while you wish they’d just buzz off, but instead someone invented cell phone cameras, so now they drive with one hand on the wheel, the other desperately trying to hold their cell phone steady and their brains split between maintaining directional control and shooting the next National Geographic cover” explains Molly.

Once at work, Molly parks her car in front of The Saleen Store and the experience continues. “I can’t keep the women off it”. (sounds familiar but not w.r.t. my car) Taking temporary leave of the social contract, women literally lay across the car to have their photo taken-again, typically by a cell phone camera. Considering Molly Pop is layered from roughly 30 clearcoats and numerous base, tint, color, and metallic coats and therefore can’t be retouched, the fear of deep scratches can cause hives.

High Resolution Photos

Outrageous Colours
In 1973, Porsche supplied 911 coupes for the Inter-national Race of Champions, with those 12 cars painted in Easter egg colors. The daring paint carried over to Porsche’s street cars, which became hugely visible and soon backed up by blazing turbo models. Porsche was moving on to exotic status and its current reputation for huge performance and equally elevated prices.

It’s similar with Saleen. Appearance has always been a Saleen strong suit. With a longtime association with BASF, the company has pushed the envelope in what automotive paint can be. Currently there are nine Saleen-specific colors, each with an indescribable contradiction of deep, almost dark color, a silvery sheen, sparkling highlights, and impossibly deep gloss. Equivalent to enameled fishing lures in their depth, color, and specular highlights, they’re brash, yet sophisticated. Other good descriptions are “iridescent feel” or “glitter,” and they all pop in sunlight.

Much about these colors are trade secrets, but in general, each requires a basecoat, several color coats, an application of trick metallics, and many clearcoats. Some colors, such as the new Molly Pop, aren’t particular about the basecoat. Molly says her car started out as Torch Red from Ford. Other colors require a specific basecoat. Most are sensitive to the number of coats and require considerable skill on the painter’s part-wet color looks completely different than the dry colors covered with metal and what seems to be an inch of clearcoats. Typically, the more color coats, the darker the hue; Lizstick, for example, picks up a distinct black look if there’s too much color.

As you may have guessed, these unique Saleen colors are expensive. The materials are costly and a lot is used, so the work must be done correctly the first time around. Specialized skill is required and people pay for the exclusivity. Pricing is $18,000 except for Rainbow, which is $20,000. That’s just for the paint job-not the entire car!!!

Once painted, it pays to take special care to avoid damage. Of course, matching these paints is impossible, so work must be done in batches and collision or heavy scratch repair requires a complete respray. The paints are UV resistant, but they motivate owners against parking lot dings and other accidents. For the company’s part, all the cars are shipped in enclosed trailers; the rest is up to the owners.

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[Source: Mustang50Magazine.com, Molly Saleens MySpace Page]