Quote:
Originally Posted by MeNotYou
All they do now in Troy is paint...
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You know... I think I feel some pain in your words, and if I am correct, I must say I can relate.
I think about the countless times I had been to Saleen's Fairbanks facility in Irvine, and all that's left of the hundreds of dedicated employees who were inspired by the passion of the man called Steve Saleen, and all the grandeur -- some of which can be seen here...
(See this thread for a link to the autoblog article online... http://saleenforums.soec.org/showthread.php?t=4125)
... it was something to behold.
All that is now just an empty dark shell with walls torn down and only dust on the floor.
I was there during much of the teardown in August and early September of last year. Things worth seemingly nothing were sold while others that seemed to have much value were broken with sledge hammers and thrown away.
When all was said and done, only 8 or 10 were left by October, and those few were moved to a small building across town... today, only one or two of them remain.
What the new owners will do with the the brand we have come to know as Saleen -- or even Racecraft for that matter -- will be interesting to see.
It was a little bitter sweet for me, to say the least, to hear earlier one day recently that virtually everyone we had worked with at Troy was let go. And ironically, later that evening we saw Steve unveil the new SMS Challenger 570 and give us a glimpse at the future of what he sees as a next generation of American Muscle.
It's an impressive look, to be sure. And I must say that while I did dance that night -- because the event was a celebration of a rebirth of sorts -- heading home I couldn't help but think that the day also signified an end to quite an era that lasted for 25 years.
I wonder what the
next 25 will bring...