As part of this gig, I get the opportunity to drive some really sick cars. I’ve been able to drive a Ferrari 550 Maranello, a Dodge Viper, several Corvettes, and even the FR500 concept car from a few years back. That doesn’t even count the limitless amount of Roush, Steeda, and new Mustangs while on the job, and the 30-40 Mustangs I’ve driven as part of the King of the Street competition; Mustangs possessing over 900 horsepower to the rear wheels. However, the one drive I yearned for the most was outside of my grasp…that is, until the Saleen Club of America Nationals this past weekend in Greenwood, IN. Check out my dream ride after the jump…

I’ve always had a car crush on the ’89 Saleen SSC. I don’t know what it is about the car. It could be its combination of colors both inside and out. It could be the low production numbers (161). It could even be that 1989 was the year I graduated high school (Or was supposed to, LOL), there’s that possible connection as well. Then again, the car just sits right. I like the paint scheme with the white DP5 wheels. It looks totally different than any other Mustang on the road, unless you see another SSC go by, which is nearly impossible thanks to the low production number. 

Also because of the SSC’s low production number, I had never had the opportunity to drive one…until Charlie Smith, Saleen Club of America President made my dreams come true by giving up the keys to his SSC #121 for the cruise from Ray Skillman Performance Ford to Brown County State Park in Nashville, IN. Obviously, he’s not an avid reader of 5.0&SF, or he would’ve never tossed me the keys. He either didn’t know about my checkered past when it comes to front air dams, or he overlooked it this one time. Either way, I wasn’t about to incriminate myself because the SSC’s keys never would’ve left his grasp.

Thankfully, the ride to Brown County State Park was uneventful, except for a cracked DP5 wheel, but Charlie doesn’t know when that happened so we’ll go with I didn’t do it. During the drive, I was so caught up in the moment I don’t even remember how long it took to get to the park. Going back over the show literature it was roughly 30 miles with more curves than every road in Florida combined. I felt better when Charlie’s wife Sandy, following us in the couple’s other Saleen, a 2000 S281 Speedster, said she thought Charlie was behind the wheel of the car. Not that I beat on the car, but I drove the SSC as Steve Saleen intended. Case in point, I overheard Charlie gasp a couple times, and I’m pretty sure he put his foot to the passenger side floorboard hoping to find a brake pedal. However, Charlie’s nervousness was unwarranted. We made it to the park unscathed.  

Leading up to the event I wondered to myself if I should’ve even pushed the issue of driving an SSC at the show. What if it was like that movie everyone said was awesome, but I thought it was stupid? What a let down it would’ve been if Charlie’s SSC was a bucket of bolts. I was afraid driving an SSC would kill my enthusiasm for the car, but driving Charlie’s car only confirmed my affinity for the SSC. As has been customary of Fox Saleens, Charlie’s SSC behaved like one solid unit. Charlie’s SSC was solid as a rock, tighter than 2 sizes too small spandex, and possessed handling befitting a Saleen.

No, I may never own an SSC, but I can cross driving an SSC off the list of things I want to do before I die. Maybe now that I’ve driven one, I should add “Buy an SSC” to that list. You never know, 20 years from now I could find one in a barn. Maybe Charlie has a barn. I can only hope.

Thanks for the drive, Charlie. Make sure you get that wheel fixed for my next stint behind the wheel…next year maybe.