The Saleen S7 Twin Turbo is a limited-production, hand-built, high-performance American sports car. It was the only car produced by Saleen not based on an existing chassis and became America's first production Super Car.
The engine is an all-aluminum 427 a bored-and-stroked derivative of Ford's 351 Windsor small-block unit which is remarkably tractable and flexible for such a high-output unit - 550 hp at 6400 rpm. In 2005, the S7 gained a more powerful twin-turbo power plant that boosted engine power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW). The only other significant change was that the front and rear diffusers were added and the rear spoiler was also reworked to increase down force by 60%. The twin-turbo’s performance numbers are an impressive 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in a blistering 2.8 seconds, 100 mph (160.1 km/h) sprint is reached in 5.9 seconds. The Saleen has an impressive top speed of 248 mph (399 km/h).
The body of the car, made entirely from carbon fiber, incorporates the use of scoops, spoilers, and other aerodynamic features to create split-channel airflow throughout the car, and at 160 miles per hour (257 km/h), the car creates its own weight in down force.
The interior of the Saleen S7 was designed to be both luxurious and functional. Leather appears throughout the cabin, with aluminum accents, and the S7 comes with a set of custom-fit luggage. Because of the car's mid-engine layout, it has two trunks, front and rear. Other features include an LCD monitor, rear-view camera, quick-release steering-wheel and a 240 mile per hour (386 km/h) speedometer. The cabin is of an asymmetrical layout, with the custom-fitted driver's seat positioned toward the center both to improve the driver's visibility and center the weight of the vehicle.
Saleen’s main competitors were the Ferrari Enzo, McLaren F1 and the Maserati MC12. Lastly, when
it comes to price the S7 Twin Turbo looks to be by far the smartest buy of the lot. With a final price of $ 555,000, the Saleen is $100,000 less than the Ferrari Enzo, $300,000 less than the Maserati MC12 and half the price of the McLaren F1. But, if you’re a buyer in the Exotic Super Car segment and if you have deep pockets then a more reliable & reputed brand with better build quality, technological lead, legacy and snob value should be your right choice.
(Text Adapted from: Wikipedia)