Equipment
2.9-liter V-6, 5-speed, Racecraft suspension, alloy wheels, bucket seats, Momo steering wheel, Saleen gauges, power steering, air conditioning, cruise control, original window sticker.
Condition
From the Jason Dietsch Saleen collection. The 9th of 24 Sportrucks built for 1988, and reportedly the only one finished in Regatta Blue (all the others were white). Also represented as a one-owner truck and showing 1678 miles. Paint is very good with a few small scratches and chips on the front. Interior still looks new with little to no wear. Engine bay is very clean with some age showing on rubber and plastic parts. Underneath is clean for the most part with some oxidation on the driveline and suspension parts. Window sticker reads $11,230 (about $30K today) as the original price. Barely used, and surely one of the world's coolest Ford Rangers.
Market commentary
While Saleen is better known for modifying Mustangs, Ford's compact pickup was getting the Saleen treatment as early as 1987, when Saleen entered the SCCA Coors Race Truck Challenge with 'roided up Rangers. The Ranger-based Sportruck came out in 1988, and in 1991 Saleen won the SCCA Race Truck title with five wins in six races. The last one of these ultra-rare Rangers to sell at auction that we could find was in Scottsdale way back in 2009, for just $6050. This one's $75K - $90K estimate proved ambitious, but $43,450 is still probably the most anyone has ever paid for a first gen Ford Ranger.