Saleen Mustang 302 Black Label Taken for Spirited Spin by YouTubers

Packing 800 horsepower and a manual transmission, top-of-the-line Saleen Mustang is a pure thrill machine.

If you’re a regular on YouTube, you’ve likely already heard of Speed Phenom. The young man has been around the Mustang world for years now. But his rapid rise to fame came just a few months ago, when he became on the first YouTubers to get their hands on a new GT500. Shortly thereafter, he ripped off the best (at the time) quarter-mile time anyone had seen to date in the car. But in Speed Phenom’s most recent video, he isn’t driving a Shelby at all. Instead, he’s taking the new Saleen 302 Black Label for a spin.

Speed Phenom and his buddy, who owns a last-gen GT500, make a pit stop at Saleen headquarters to check out this new ride. And the first thing that becomes obvious is just how unique these cars look. “They look wildly different,” Speed Phenom points out. “But they’re based on the same platform.”

Things under the hood are a bit different as well. “The Black Label Saleen has 800 horsepower. And one of the best things about it is that is has a manual transmission.” There’s also a White Label and Yellow Label Saleen on site, which have less power and smaller price tags.

So the Saleen looks unique and has plenty of power with a row-your-own transmission. But how does it drive? “It feels nice to drive,” Speed Phenom says. “The car is smooth, not rough. I’m not bouncing all over the place. And this thing picks up speed, oh my gosh. It’s so engaging. I really do want to get this on the race track. This is one of that cars that you buy and when you drive it, just give it a tiny bit of power, hear the exhaust note, and you’re having a really fun time.”

Of course, the Saleen 302 Black Label will cost you. To the tune of around $84,000 for this particular car. Which is on par with the new GT500, minus markups. But there’s just something about a manual transmission that can’t be beat. Sure, the dual-clutch is faster, but it’s just less engaging. And sometimes, simply having fun out on the street tops raw acceleration numbers.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.