Saleen Ford Ranger

The Story of the Legendary Sportruck

Most automotive fans know Saleen for its high-performance Mustangs and exotic sports cars, but one of the brand’s most intriguing chapters involved a very humble vehicle: the Ford Ranger. In the late 1980s, Saleen built a small number of performance-oriented Rangers and campaigned them successfully in SCCA truck racing, creating one of the rarest and most collectible performance trucks ever made.

Saleen 1988 Ford Ranger in Regatta Blue (1 of 1)

Saleen’s Racing Roots

Saleen Automotive was founded in 1983 by racer and engineer Steve Saleen, whose goal was to build vehicles that blurred the line between street performance and racetrack capability. Starting with Mustangs, Saleen quickly proved his cars could compete at the highest level of Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing.

By 1987, Saleen saw an opportunity in the new SCCA Coors RaceTruck Challenge, a series for race-prepared compact pickup trucks. Saleen entered race-prepared Rangers in the series and quickly achieved success, including two wins in the inaugural season. To capitalize on this exposure and give enthusiasts a street-legal taste of racing performance, Saleen introduced a limited production model for consumers in 1988.

The 1988 Saleen Sportruck — Production and Specifications

The 1988 Saleen Sportruck was extremely rare, with only 24 street versions and 4 race-ready trucks built. All but one were finished in white with blue trim (shown here). There wouldn’t be any street versions of the truck built from 1989 through 1991, and only one street truck was built in 1992 and appears to have been built for Michael Saleen and designated 92-0001ST.

Engine and Drivetrain

• Stock Ford 2.9L V6 producing the same horsepower as a standard Ranger V6 (~140 hp).
• Paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and 3.73 rear gears.
• Performance improvements came from handling upgrades rather than raw engine power.

Suspension

• Saleen Racecraft Suspension System with stiffer springs and improved shocks.
• Lowered stance for better road-holding and cornering.

Exterior

• Unique Saleen body kit and front grille.
• Rear spoiler and distinctive Ronal alloy 15-inch wheels with 225/60-15 General Tires.

Interior

• Flo-Fit sport bucket seats.
• Saleen-branded tachometer and 140 mph speedometer.
• MOMO steering wheel and premium Pioneer sound system.

Competition History – SCCA RaceTruck Challenge

Saleen continued to campaign Ranger-based Sportrucks in the SCCA RaceTruck Challenge from 1987 through 1991. Steve Saleen himself often drove the trucks, which were designated with build codes like 88‑0019RT, 89‑0020RT, and 91‑0019RT. The highlight came in 1991 when Saleen won the series championship, securing both driver and manufacturer honors.

In all, 9 race trucks were built and were designated as:

• 88-0019RT
• 88-0020RT
• 88-0021RT
• 89-0019RT
• 89-0020RT
• 89-0021RT
• 90-0019RT
• 90-0020RT
• 91-0019RT

Legacy and Collector Value

While the Saleen Sportruck wasn’t a horsepower monster, it remains a rare, fascinating precursor to modern high-performance trucks. It demonstrated that serious performance upgrades — particularly in handling — could be applied to a compact truck platform with official Ford backing, creating a unique collector’s item.

Saleen later revisited performance trucks with the supercharged S331 Sport Truck based on the full-size F-150 platform in 2007, producing hundreds of horsepower and cementing Saleen’s long-standing influence on the sport truck market.

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Saleen Ford Ranger (1 of 1)

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