Born in Inglewood, California, and a 1967 graduate of Whittier High School in Whittier, California, Saleen worked at his father's manufacturing business before attending the University of Southern California and graduating with a degree in business. With an interest in fast cars sparked by his father's purchase of a Porsche, Steve joined the Porsche Owners Club and worked his way up through the ranks of club racing, which led to a career in professional racing. He entered the Formula Atlantic series where, in 1980, he finished third in the final standings behind eventual champion Jacques Villeneuve. He progressed on to the SCCATrans-Am Series in 1982, driving a Ford Mustang. From here, a passion for one of Ford's most famous automobiles begin to manifest itself. Saleen formed Saleen Autosport in 1983 and set to building the first Saleen Mustang, equipped with special aerodynamic, suspension and handling packages and a completely redesigned interior. The car was completed in 1984 and was immediately tested against the world's top sports cars with great success, finishing first in its class at the Mosport24-hour race that year. In 1995, Saleen formed a race team with comedian Tim Allen and fellow race driverBob Bondurant, called Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab. The team raced Saleen Mustangs in the SCCA World Challenge, with Saleen and Allen themselves as the drivers. In 1996, Saleen was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame. In March 2007 Steve Saleen resigned from Saleen, Inc. the company he founded in 1984, to pursue other business opportunities in the automotive sector. On March 13, 2008 Steve Saleen announced the formation of "", Lifestyle Performance Automobiles. Through the years of building the reputation behind each automotive company brand, Saleen maintained close participation throughout product development, sales and marketing. He announced that the focus of SMS is with the high-end of the American Muscle Car and Global Supercar markets. In April 2009, Saleen announced that SMS Supercars will voluntarily honor the warranties of vehicles manufactured by the now-defunct Saleen, Inc. Nearly 5 years after resigning from Saleen, Inc., on April 2, 2012 Steve Saleen announced that he is once again associated with the Saleen automotive brand.
Personal life
Saleen lives in Southern California, with his wife Elizabeth. Saleen has three adult children and seven grandchildren.
