Roush Saleen Store Closing?
- Thread starter JLM
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saleenster
Founding Member
Its Official, The Saleen Store is Closed/Emptied Out and the Saleen Merchandise is on it was to Troy, Michigan!!! They Really Snuck under the Radar here, but a Handful of us Old Time Saleen fans saw the writing on the wall here, a long time ago even when they had the Grand Opening of the store on July 29, 2006 we saw this coming! Saleen sent me an Invitation to the Grand Opening of The Saleen Store in early May 2006 that Read, "A NEW ERA OF AUTOMOTIVE RETAILING" well, I now can honestly say its, "THE END OF AN ERA OF AUTOMOTIVE RETAILING FOR SALEEN" Sad, But True!!
And Just imagine they did this without letting anyone know!!!!! They've never done that before, Right.........
And Just imagine they did this without letting anyone know!!!!! They've never done that before, Right.........
bigwingsaleen
New Member
- Apr 11, 2005
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marcus95
Active Member
Gary,
I think I was just one of the loudmouths.
I guess when I post something maybe it won't be taken as a rumor next time?
It does suck, but those of us who have been around like Todd saw it coming before the store opened.
I already lost my bet with Cutler since I said they would be out by the end of October. What do I owe you Tiny?
Anyway, the worst part will be when they close Fairbanks in a month or so.
Then I will shed a tear.
Bummer really.
I think I was just one of the loudmouths.
I guess when I post something maybe it won't be taken as a rumor next time?
It does suck, but those of us who have been around like Todd saw it coming before the store opened.
I already lost my bet with Cutler since I said they would be out by the end of October. What do I owe you Tiny?
Anyway, the worst part will be when they close Fairbanks in a month or so.
Then I will shed a tear.
Bummer really.
bigwingsaleen
New Member
- Apr 11, 2005
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I guess I didn't realize when I said "rumor come true" how it sounded. I in NO WAY meant that your word wasn't repuitable (?sp). I respect the insight you, Robert, Dennis, and others that have lived the Saleen years in the backyard of where it started.
RESPECT
s351rspeedster
New Member
Gary,
I think I was just one of the loudmouths.
I guess when I post something maybe it won't be taken as a rumor next time?
It does suck, but those of us who have been around like Todd saw it coming before the store opened.
I already lost my bet with Cutler since I said they would be out by the end of October. What do I owe you Tiny?
Anyway, the worst part will be when they close Fairbanks in a month or so.
Then I will shed a tear.
Bummer really.
....this action reminds me of the Baltimore Colts late night pack and go to Indy back in the 70's, Bekins moving trucks if I remember correctly... I was wrong too Mark, I said the end of December would be D-day. Do I still when the bet if Fairbanks is emptied out by the end of the year?? I'll take a nice looking red head that doesn't talk back, if you know what I mean??
Well i am not the least bit surprised the store did not make it. I thought it was a risky idea since the beginning. The Irvine Sprectrum must charge a ton of money for a lease. To the customers who shop at the Spectrum, the Saleen store is not something thats going to appeal to large number of people who shop there. The Saleen store going away is not that big of a deal. What happened at 76Fairbanks with Steve leaving was the big blow for all of us. It will never be the
same again. Just remember the good old times we all had!
Simi Saleen
same again. Just remember the good old times we all had!
Simi Saleen
SVT Saleen
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- Aug 10, 2005
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Yep, Marcus, you owe Robert on this call.
Robert came down in October to attend the San Diego Mustang Club show with my wife & me & told us that he fully expected the Saleen Store to close sometime before the end of 2007 because Molly, the last of the Saleen family members still employed by the company that bore her father's name, had been summarily sacked.
Once again we old guard Saleen enthusiasts are witness to the legacy being shat upon by the new owners. It is absolutely appalling to think that the company that once epitomized the late model Mustang aftermarket is wholesale abandoning its SoCal roots.
Robert came down in October to attend the San Diego Mustang Club show with my wife & me & told us that he fully expected the Saleen Store to close sometime before the end of 2007 because Molly, the last of the Saleen family members still employed by the company that bore her father's name, had been summarily sacked.
Once again we old guard Saleen enthusiasts are witness to the legacy being shat upon by the new owners. It is absolutely appalling to think that the company that once epitomized the late model Mustang aftermarket is wholesale abandoning its SoCal roots.
saleenster
Founding Member
EDGE Motorsport
Member
s351rspeedster
New Member
I wonder if Molly was let go?
.....Molly was let go a few months ago along with her brothers. They all are now working for Steve, once again, with those Chinese imported cars.....
s351rspeedster
New Member
.....I won't teach this with a ten foot pole however I will say this and leave it at that 
dotbomb
Member
That store lasted far longer than I thought it would. And yeah, everyone at the grand opening pretty much called this from day 0. Sucks it had to happen but that thing had to be bleeding cash bigtime for Saleen and RSM Ford... now to wait another 6 months and see how many PJ's RSM Ford has to offload. Currently inventory sits at 6 or so.
Saleen sponsored my event last year thanks to Molly Saleen and Ryan barker who worked so very hard trying to get some dip**** in the marketing to get his act together .
We sold 9 of the 600 BHp bad boy cars and gave one away as a prize to the winner of the event its sad to see a great company crumble over night ,but when your in the hands of the people I had to deal with at corporate its no wonder .
They ran out of black chassis and Mike simmonds tried to give me grabber orange ones re-painted black and sell them to my clients on the event .
When Steve heard about it he put a stop to it thankfully after Steve left I had to fight for everything they promised .
I still have one used Bad boy car left my daily driver and its such fun strong and quick such a shame will it carry on or is it all going to end soon ?
We sold 9 of the 600 BHp bad boy cars and gave one away as a prize to the winner of the event its sad to see a great company crumble over night ,but when your in the hands of the people I had to deal with at corporate its no wonder .
They ran out of black chassis and Mike simmonds tried to give me grabber orange ones re-painted black and sell them to my clients on the event .
When Steve heard about it he put a stop to it thankfully after Steve left I had to fight for everything they promised .
I still have one used Bad boy car left my daily driver and its such fun strong and quick such a shame will it carry on or is it all going to end soon ?
While the Saleen Store has closed, Saleen Inc. is still producing cars in Troy and plans to for years to come. And while Molly is gone, Ryan Barker is back in Irvine's corporate office to make whatever contributions he can to the new team that is trying to think outside the box a little bit and in a new direction.
Unfortunately with the inevitable move of most or all of the operations to Troy, energy from enthusiastic people like Ryan and many others who have a passion for the brand will likely be lost unless they keep a Western operation going.
The company has been building a new staff with talents from ASC and Chrysler and others, but that's all happening in Troy. I've met most of them long before they joined Saleen, and they're determined to build on the brand and hopefully turn a profit along the way. Nobody is left in Irvine's Marketing dept. now that Mike S. resigned last week, though he probably didn't realize the significance of the color issue since he wasn't really involved in production.
Saleen Inc. has already announced several new models since Steve left, and will be announcing yet another tomorrow at the Detroit Auto Show.
I will have to add that we all wish Steve, Liz, Molly, Clint and Sean were still involved, but the legacy they built will hopefully carry on.
Regardless of the Saleen family involvement, the current generation of cars have nearly 25 years of Steve Saleen influence in them, and they are all a blast to drive and each have their merits... On behalf of SOEC, we all hope the company will continue to flourish as it reorganizes to face the challenges in this tough industry.
