In the mid-1980s Steve Saleen was a little-known Mustang modifier and racer, but by the end of the decade he was one of the biggest names associated with the Fox-body era. His race-tuned take on the popular muscle car, along with Saleen’s many on-track successes, helped propel the name from niche automaker to national icon in the space of a decade.

Today, even non-Ford fans have heard of Saleen, and his special take on the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger have made him as much of a car celebrity as ever. This is the real deal, Saleen #01 for 1988. Not to many people understand Saleen’s number system, but during the 80’s and 90’s cars with the number 01-10 were either a personal car of Saleen, the staff, or part of the Saleen race team. Initially cars with those numbers were not offered to the public. 

Saleen Mustangs could in some respects be considered the Shelby Mustang of the 1980’s, as the company was the most prominent modifier of the cars, so much so that the government actually considered them manufacturer, not just a third party modifier. Pristine 80’s model Saleen Mustangs start for anywhere between around $12,000 and up to nearly $30,000 on the regular market. Add to that the provenance of this car, and it’s difficult to predict what it will sell for to the right bidder at the Barrett-Jackosn auction next weekend.

1988 was a big year for Saleen, with production exceeding 700 cars and more than doubling from the year before. Steve Saleen selected this specific car as his own, and used it for various press events and testing oppertunities, including a stint with Motor Trend’s crew in 1990. This Mustang also served as a test bed for Saleen’s Active Suspension system in 1989.

Other than Saleen, this 5.0, 5-speed-equipped Mustang has had just one owner, and with just over 42,000 miles on it, it’s broken in but not beaten up. It’s as clean an example as you’re going to find, and it comes with all the documentation from Saleen one would expect of such a historic car. For the most devout of Saleen fans, this is a pretty important car, and we’d be surprised if it went for anything less than six figures. What’s your bet for the final bid?