A supercar with street cred possesses that magic balance, a blend of exorbitant power, sleek and sexy aesthetics, and a genuine racing heritage. That heritage is difficult to come by, and perhaps only Lamborghini has found any real success without the requisite racing resume. That didn't stop Steve Saleen, widely regarded as the premier Mustang tuner.
The Saleen S7 team began with Steve Saleen, who provided the concept, the focus, and the direction. Hidden Creek Industries, now Hidden Creek Partners, a private industrial management firm for truck and car suppliers, provided the resources and the initial funding. Phil Frank Design provided the design and development of the body and the interior. Finally, the RML Group, an engineering and motorsports racing team, performed the chassis engineering.
When Saleen introduced the S7 on August 19, 2000 at the Monterey Historic Races, the S7 was the first Saleen vehicle not based on an existing chassis. Comprised of steel and aluminum, the space frame design employed on the S7 weighed a mere 2750 pounds. They had comprised the body entirely of carbon fiber, and the interior combined all the mandatory racing functionality with a level of luxury found only in the world's most exclusive vehicles.
Under the hood, it had a naturally aspirated V8 engine that purred a ferocious 550 mph, and provided acceleration from 0-60 mph in approximately 3.2 seconds. That initial S7 accelerated from 0-100 mph in approximately 8 seconds, and it could complete a standing quarter mile in less than 12 seconds with a top speed of approximately 225 mph. The run of the initial Saleen S7 lasted just four years before it had to move aside for the all-new Saleen S7 Twin Turbo.
The Twin Turbo Saleen S7 for sale was an updated version of the supercar that had been relatively successful for the previous four years. The primary change was the addition of the twin-turbochargers as reflected in the cars name. However, using twin-turbochargers wasn't a new idea. It had actually been part of the original concept, but it never made it to the production phase due to some technical limitations.
Saleen introduced the Twin Turbo S7 at just several hairs beneath $600,000. Under the hood, the S7 engine was essentially the same except for the addition of the two Garrett turbochargers, which increased maximum output to 750 horsepower at 6300 rpm. In addition, the design team made changes to the rear spoiler and the front and rear diffusers that allowed for a 60% increase in downforce.
The following year Saleen added a competition package that increased output by 33% for a total maximum output of 1000 jaw-dropping horsepower. After test-driving this all-new, more-competition-ready S7, Car and Driver magazine referred to the supercar as the fastest production vehicle that they had ever driven. Let that sink in for a moment, and then get back to dreaming of finding a Saleen S7 for sale and actually buying it.
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