2003 Ford Mustang Saleen

First, a confession: Despite being a regular around these pages, I don't get much seat time in Saleen Mustangs. With its corporate headquarters and manufac-turing facility being located in California, West Coast Editor-at-Large Tom Wilson usually gets the call when Saleen hands out the keys to something new and exciting. And, on the rare occasion when one does finds its way east, the crew in the Florida office practically smack each other silly to get in line for the keys, with Editor Turner usually getting first shot, because-well-rank does have its privileges.

But all that changed last October when Saleen scheduled its '03 model introduction for the days leading up to the American Le Mans Series' season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. El Jefe Turner, you see, had a scheduling conflict, so in an unparalleled fit of Southern hospitality, he gave his unofficial "northern-affairs editor" (that would be me) the call. Saleen's scheduling of the intro to coincide with the race event was not at all coincidental, since a number of customer S7Rs were to contest the ALMS GTS class against factory-backed Corvettes, the venerable Viper GTS-Rs, and a pair of Ferrari 550 Maranellos.

The plan was to spend a couple quality days behind the wheel of Saleen's two supercharged '03 models-the S281-SC and the top-dog S281-E-with an '02 SC along for comparison, then check out a brand-new, high-tech Pirelli tire manufacturing facility in Georgia, and finally close out the trip as guests of Saleen and Pirelli North America at the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans road race. The only way it could have been better is if they'd brought along a street S7 for a good wringing out. But that, as Saleen Vice President of Engineering Bill Tally once quipped, would be like "giving a monkey a gun." Well said, Billy, and pass the banana.

The tie-in between Saleen and Pirelli is a close one, as the Italian firm's world-class rubber has shod production S281s, as well as the street S7 and some S7Rs, for some time now. This trip would be an opportunity for us to sample a new ultra-high-performance offering just entering the Pirelli lineup-the P Zero Nero-and to check out the revolutionary new process used to manufacture it (see the sidebar Pirelli Invades North America). Two of our test cars wore the new Nero tires, while the third was fitted with previous-generation P Zero System counterparts.

As press intros go, this was purposely intended to be a small gathering, with only two scribes from Stateside and a British colleague in attendance. That blessedly meant one car for each of us, so during the course of our two days' rampaging through the Southeast, we simply rotated between one '03 S281-SC coupe and two Speedsters-an '02 SC and an '03 S281-E-for back-to-back comparison.

Though we experienced a mixed bag of tarmac in these superbly potent Mustangs, from rural two-lanes to Atlanta's notorious rush-hour freeway gridlock, the most memorable stretch by far had to be the Tail of the Dragon. This almost unbelievable paved roller coaster twists its way like a drunken tapeworm through the Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Traversing just 14 miles as the crow flies, its adrenaline-milking switchbacks and gut-curdling elevation changes can probably account for a year's worth of tire and deodorant wear if driven with proper enthusiasm-which is the only way to drive it. How challenging is this serpentine section of blacktop? Well, it even has its own Web site (www.tailofthedragon.com), and let's just say that if you die on the Dragon, it won't be from boredom.