2005 Saleen S281 Mustang - Handling & Emissions - First Drive & Road Test Review

All these mods take the Mustang driving experience up a notch. It's fun to play the exhaust system like a pipe organ, opening and closing the bypass valves, thereby increasing the bass, with your right foot. Zero-to-60 acceleration is only a tenth quicker than a stock GT's, and quarter-mile times are virtually identical. The big difference shows up in the slalom, with a 69.9-mph run through the cones, as compared with the factory Mustang's 65.4. Braking distances 60 to 0 are shorter by 10 feet.

The test car Saleen provided us differed from the specifications published for the S281. The company's literature states: "A 20-inch wheel and tire package is standard on every S281. There are no optional wheel diameters for 2005." The spec sheet lists several tire options; all 20-inchers. Yet our car had 19s. Smaller-diameter tires mean a lower effective (numerically higher) overall axle ratio. The top tire option listed is the Pirelli PZero Rosso. Yet our car's 19-inch wheels came wrapped in PZero Corsas, a step up from the Rossos, which, according to Pirelli's Web site, are made of "racing rubber compound."

This car's exhaust smelled of unburned fuel, as if it were running rich. To confirm what our noses suspected, we submitted the S281 to a computerized California State Smog inspection. It failed. It's our opinion this car outperformed one that would pass a sniff exam and was fitted with factory-spec rolling stock. We've invited Saleen to provide us with another S281 that meets its own published specifications, as well as California's emissions requirements, for a retest. We'll let you know the result.